


Morning Fog

by trouvelle



Category: Magic Kaito, 名探偵コナン | Detective Conan | Case Closed
Genre: Adventure, Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Alternate Universe - Friends (TV) Fusion, Alternate Universe - Marvel Cinematic Universe Fusion, Alternate Universe - Post-Apocalypse, Alternate Universe - Psychopaths, Brotp, Humor, Kittens AU, Mentions of Blood and Torture, Murphy's Law, Pets, literal fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 02:00:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 32,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26069119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/trouvelle/pseuds/trouvelle
Summary: A collection of oneshots and drabbles written for DCMK Emogust 2019 and 2020.(Some of them are connected, but some has no actual plot.)
Relationships: Hattori Heiji & Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan, Hattori Heiji & Kuroba Kaito | Kaito Kid & Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan, Hattori Heiji/Tooyama Kazuha, Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan & Tooyama Kazuha, Kudou Shinichi | Edogawa Conan/Mouri Ran, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid & Tooyama Kazuha, Kuroba Kaito | Kaitou Kid/Nakamori Aoko, Kyougoku Makoto/Suzuki Sonoko, Mouri Ran & Nakamori Aoko & Tooyama Kazuha, Mouri Ran & Tooyama Kazuha
Comments: 8
Kudos: 20





	1. Kittens — ShinRan, HeiKazu, KaiAo

**Author's Note:**

> Finally crossposting these from tumblr (*ﾉ∀`*)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 09.08.19 - Stubbornness  
> Pairing: HeiKazu, ShinRan, KaiAo, MakoSono  
> Warnings/Tags: Kittens AU. Nothing but furballs of literal fluff ahead!

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that anyone in possession of a kitten must constantly be in need of new blankets. And curtains. Or something like that. _Maybe it’s just my kitten_ , Ran thinks, as she regards her curtains sadly. They have threads sticking out every way all along the bottom hems.

Shinichi has shredded the ends of her new ones, and while these not quite brand new, at least they weren’t so obviously scruffy before Shinichi came along. Gathering the curtains, she tucks them up on the handles of her French doors out of Shinichi’s reach before turning to the kitten in question.

Shinichi has magically gone from ripping around the apartment when Ran first came home to sitting quietly in a corner with his head cocked to one side. He is a picture of cuteness. Spoiled cat knows he’s in trouble. His eyes are shining bright as if they’re glittering, making him look harmless and innocent. Ran knows better.

But Ran has a huge heart so she picks Shinichi up and sits him in the crook of her elbow, before tapping him on his velvety nose, saying “Don’t rip up the curtains ever again, okay?”

She stares into Shinichi’s blue eyes. Blue eyes stare back at her. Ran stares some more. She’s not going to lose to this cat again! Finally Shinichi looks away first. First ever win since Shinichi’s been with her! _Small victories win the battle~_ , Ran tells herself as she carries Shinichi into the kitchen, placing him on the counter.

“What shall we have today? Chicken and turkey casserole or grilled seafood feast?” She asks Shinichi, chucking him on the chin. Ran pulls out two cans of cat food and sets them in front of Shinichi. She watches as Shinichi sniffs one, sniffs the other, and then instead walks toward the bag of rotisserie chicken Kazuha has brought over earlier for dinner.

Against the advice of the vet at the shelter, Ran ends up sharing bits of her chicken with Shinichi. If he goes bald early it is definitely his own fault for being so cute anyway.

—

Kazuha’s the one who wanted a cat first.

“I think having a pet will help alleviate my stress levels and provide me some company. At least that’s what Aoko-chan says.” She told Ran enthusiastically over coffee one day. Across from them, Sonoko made a face, “But then you’re gonna have to feed it and clean up its mess. Sounds like a lot more trouble to me.”

“She does look happier lately since she got Kaito,” Ran noted. About a month prior, while the four of them were on their way back from their weekly routine of doing grocery shopping together they had passed by a pet adoption event. She immediately had her eyes set on a stunning white Manx cat and decided to adopt it the moment it opened its blue eyes and stared back at her. The name displayed on its cage was “Kaito” and she never bothered to come up with a new name for him.

That’s how they end up on a Saturday morning at their local cat shelter, watching two kittens chase each other around in a pen. They run many rounds before the dark chocolate one abruptly stops in its tracks and turns to bat the cream kitten on the head, hard. The other kitten is stunned for a moment, and then suddenly the high-speed chase turns into a round of head-bopping. Kazuha is confused. _Will there be bloodshed any moment?_ She turned to look at Ran, _is this how cats usually show affection?_

They turn to ask the shelter staff and not a minute later when they turn their heads back, the cream kitten now has the head of the other kitten cradled between its paws, very diligently licking the tuft of dark brown fur sticking out from its head.

Kazuha watches with some disquietude as Ran squats so that her face is nearer to the kittens and makes cooing noises. The brown kitten’s eyes fly open and Kazuha swears he’s glaring at her for interrupting him. On the other hand, the cream Birman kitten now just looks sleepy, like all that has worn him out. He’s flopped onto the floor, one paw curled possessively over the other kitten’s neck. 

When Ran reaches down to pick up the cream kitten and cuddle it against her cheek, the brown one gives a sort of squeaking noise, and peeked his eyes open and shut it close again, not making any effort to get up. Kazuha makes a squealing noise herself, but for very different reasons. Surprisingly though, instead of lashing out at Ran’s face, the kitten starts making this odd whirring noise, and rubs his head against Ran’s cheek. He’s got really light brown markings around his eyes and snout.

“This one’s name is Shinichi!” Ran says brightly, immediately sold. 

Somehow, they end up taking both kittens. The chocolate one latches onto Kazuha’s sweater, snuggling into the soft wool when Kazuha picks him up. That’s when Kazuha notices he has tiny white socks on all his four paws.

“Snowfrost Socks would be a fitting name for him, Kazuha-chan!” suggested Ran. 

“I’m not calling him Snowfrost Socks, Ran-chan.”

Kazuha can _hear_ the pout.

She lifts her kitten to eye level and looks into his dark green eyes. “It says here that his name is Heiji.” She grinned.

—

Ran regards the kitten which has been super active since she brought him home. She’d set up his bed for the night and shown him where his water bowl is. After the tour was done, he had promptly jumped onto Ran’s favorite plush bean bag chair and jumped down onto the carpet, before jumping up again. Seems like he’s found his spot.

“You’ll have to give them extra love and attention as they have abandonment issues from being abandoned by their mother.” That’s what the shelter staff told them. She’s not sure how to show extra love to a cat that literally does nothing but nap.

So she leaves Shinichi to it, and sets up her laptop to get some work done on an overdue paper. Barely five minutes into it, Ran feels something pulling on her pajama pants. She looks down to find Shinichi sitting at her feet, the claws of one paw hooked onto the hem of her right pant leg. Absentmindedly, she reaches out a hand to pat Shinichi on the head, once, twice, then resumes her typing.

Then it happens again. 

So she lifts Shinichi up onto her desk and coos over him for a bit, scratching his chin and tickling him behind his ears until he’s purring and pliant on the desk, eyes drooped close. When Shinichi looks like he’s fallen back asleep, Ran returns to her report.

But Shinichi wakes up again. This time, he thinks it’s a good idea to jump up and step on her keyboard. Her laptop makes a number of alarming noises and Ran scrunched her nose up. She shifts Shinichi off the laptop four times before she decides he’s probably not going to get any work done until she gives Shinichi some attention. 

Ran suddenly realizes _this must be those abandonment issues coming into play!_ Picking him up, she moves them both to the shag rug in her living room and pulls out the catnip mouse she had gotten together with the other supplies earlier.

Shinichi only gives a couple of half-hearted pats at the mouse however, before he flops onto the rug, asleep. Ran watches the kitten sleeping, waits until it seems like he’s properly fallen asleep and sneaks back to her work.

Fifteen minutes tops. Shinichi is back at her ankles mewling again.

Ran discovers a pattern with her new kitten. Shinichi only wants attention when she’s trying to get things done on her laptop, or cooking herself some dinner—basically any time she is not playing with him means it’s petting time! 

Rana keeps repeating to herself, “abandonment issues, abandonment issues” and puts up with Shinichi’s stubbornness. He makes up for it when he snuggles up against Ran’s neck at night, warm and cozy, his steady purr a lullaby to them both.

—

Heiji is bristling on the couch, his fur still ruffled from his earlier freak-out, hissing and scratching at Sonoko when she’d tried to pick him up. Kazuha adds “precious baby kitty” to the list of names he must remember to tell visitors not to call Heiji.

Half speaking to herself, half to Heiji, Kazuha says, “I’m going to stay forever single if this keeps up.”

First it had been this guy whom Kazuha had invited in after their date. He was rather persistent and insisted they dove straight into a make-out session. He abruptly left because Heiji had bitten his ankles when he placed a hand onto Kazuha’s lap. She tried to reason that Heiji was just being territorial—Kazuha’s lap is usually his after all. Teruaki-kun lasted longer, but that was also probably because he was less aggressive. Heiji had leapt up to his thighs, claws digging into his jeans only when he’d suggested to Kazuha, “Why don’t you put your kitty in the bathroom? I don’t feel comfortable when he’s staring at us like that.”

Usually they get the most angry when instead of immediately tending to their wounds, Kazuha picks Heiji and asks, alarmed, “Did you get any blood under your claws?!”

“Hygiene is very important for growing young cats,” she tells Sonoko, the only one among them without a kitten. “Especially since they’ve been abandoned by their mother, there’s no one to teach him to clean out his paws properly so I have to be extra careful.”

Kazuha insists the problem must lie with those guys. Heiji has never scratched her in his life, he’s only ever had sweet cuddles from her precious baby kitten. 

(Albeit being really _grumpy_ at times, more often than not.)

When Kazuha forgets to feed him some snacks, Heiji starts wailing, a whining pathetic mewl that sounds a lot like crying. The same thing happens whenever her attention is divided and lies on anything else other than him. Really, this kitten could be extremely stubborn. But once Kazuha leaves what she’s doing to attend to Heiji, the kitten doesn’t seem that interested in playing with her. 

Some days she comes home after a having a really bad time at school, or work, or both. But whenever she sees Heiji’s tiny face relaxing as she scratches the back of his ears though, her heart always melts, along with her bad mood. Heiji could be rough to visitors (Kazuha fails to notice that it’s mostly toward male presence only) but he’s actually a really big softie. He has truly won her heart.

—

Playdates for Shinichi and Heiji usually end up with hours of cleaning for whoever hosts. The two go absolutely mad around each other, tearing around whatever room they are in, displaying some form of kitty-parkour as they vault over side tables, bounce off armchairs and balance on ledges, knocking over anything in the way. Kazuha and Ran soon learn to put away breakable objects and secure anything that can moved by a 4-pound kitten any time Shinichi and Heiji get together but collectively they still manage to smash uncountable bowls, many vases, and notably one extremely expensive frame from Kazuha’s father, a half dozen coffee mugs and—Ran sort of loses track along the way.

It’s Ran who has the bright idea to ask Aoko if they could have a playdate with her cat. Kazuha feels pretty anxious at first, since her kitten has a reputation of attacking random people at times. It’s only ever been Shinichi and Heiji, because they seem to be very close even back in their shelter days. Ran has no worries about Shinichi getting along with Aoko’s kitten, mainly because Shinichi is pretty reserved and doesn’t really bother anyone but her.

From what she’s head from Ran and Kazuha, their kittens are fairly possessive of each other and their owners. Indeed they look strikingly different, but Aoko gathers for herself that both cats are pretty similar as far as cat-personality goes. Her own kitten, Kaito, is nowhere as guarded as Shinichi and Heiji but he has his own fair share of stubbornness that she has to deal with. 

Unlike Shinichi and Heiji, Kaito is good at socializing with humans, especially with the ladies. He never seems to mind whenever any of Aoko’s girl friends pet him on his head, or stroke his fur, or pick him up and cuddle him around. Kaito is very welcoming and likes receiving any attention from anyone. Aoko often brings Kaito along with her on their girls days out because he’s such a friendly kitten. 

Sonoko adores Kaito so much so that she always squishes him to her cheeks and chest whenever she sees him. “It’s something about Kaito that’s so charming,” Sonoko gushed on one sunday afternoon when they were out in the usual coffeeshop (pet-friendly, yes). Aoko doesn’t get to hold him much whenever Sonoko is around because the latter often insist for the kitten to be held by her. The short-haired girl has now made up her mind on getting her own kitty cat as well. 

Kaito always knows when Aoko’s leaving the house, and he’d always whine to be brought along with her. Aoko doesn’t want to say that she can get jealous at times. ( _Especially when he’s comfortable nestled on Akako-chan’s chest_ , she grumbled to Ran once.) And every night Kaito always creeps up to her bed and settles on her shoulder. It’s as if he doesn’t want to be left alone and will do anything to be with her.

Apparently, all goes well. Aoko’s apartment hasn’t been decorated with broken pieces of glassware or furniture. 

All goes well, that is, until Kaito decides to lick Shinichi with his pink, slobbery tongue. The look on Shinichi’s face screams shock (Ran has learnt to read her cat) and Heiji, offended on his littermate’s behalf, shoots a paw out with claws extended and smacks Kaito on his face.

The round of screeching, yowling, whining and skittering claws on Aoko’s parquet floor goes on for twenty minutes until Ran and Kazuha bravely wade into the fray and grab their own kittens. Kaito manages to escape to the top of the washing machine in the laundry room. He’s not trembling in fear like Ran and Kazuha expected, and instead sort of looks like he is grinning happily.

“It could’ve been _worse_ ,” Ran says, ever the optimist.

Aoko puts her hands on her hips, nodding to herself, “I’ve never seen Kaito this way before. I think we should let the three of them have playdates more often. It’s good exercise!”

Shinichi and Heiji are completely quiet, save the occasional purrs on the way home, both asleep and exhausted from their earlier exertion. They are curled up around each other like a cream and brown yin and yang symbol.


	2. Dark AU — HeiKazu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 06.08.19 - Dark AU
> 
> Characters: Heiji, Kazuha  
> Pairing: HeiKazu  
> Warnings/Tags: Psycopath AU, mentions of blood and gore

“Are there still horrible things happening in there?” **  
**

So many horrible things. He sees flailing hands and feels desperation in the darkness. He can see blood and guts and hear those endless screams with clarity. In the end, Heiji always wakes up to a bright, empty, white room and the scent of linen—so he’s pretty sure they’re not at all horrifying.

“There are awful things happening inside there, in your head, aren’t there?”

“Maybe.”

“Do you know the difference between dreams and fantasy, Heiji?”

The woman in front of him is leaning forward on her chair and shifts her legs, and he watches the movement of her slim fingers as they trace the outline of the papers she’s holding.

He relaxes back into his chair and relishes in her scent for a brief moment. He likes how she smells.. neutral, not evil like him. The room itself smells like what a Friday would be. But is it really? Is it spring or summer outside? How many months has passed by?

He averts his gaze to the huge ceiling-to-floor bookshelf standing proudly behind her and averts it again to the long white coat hanging by the door. He thinks of the white name plate sitting on the right side of the desk in front of him that reads Dr. Toyama in sleek, cursive letters. He can’t remember how many times he tried to say it out loud. But his voice is raspy, unlike hers. There is something in the woman’s voice when she speaks to him that takes away all the meaning in those golden words.

It’s something hypnotizing, Heiji thinks. Something soft and something pure.

It’s like a pair of fetters, his own personal _shackles._

“I do know the difference between dreams and reality.” He clears his throat, trying to keep it low and soft. 

Dr. Toyama looks him straight in the eye and as she does, Heiji is reminded of a sunlit meadow, the swaying of leaves, blood splatters and toe-curling screams. When she looks away, Heiji’s lips form a small grin.

“Can you tell me what the difference is, Heiji?”

Heiji shifts in the big chair and rests his elbows on either side of the wooden armrest. Dr. Toyama has the nicest chairs in her office. Much better than the ones in his own room, or the ones in the common room—although it isn’t like he’s allowed to sit there anyway. He longs to sleep in her chairs, because he knows he’d sleep much better there. He also knows that it’s something that the nurses won’t let him do (they’ll call the guards if he does insist with violence). But if he could get rid of all of them, the obstacles, he might be able to sleep there. What else is better than both the metallic smell of blood and Dr. Toyama’s scent enveloping him at once?

“Heiji?”

Dr. Toyama says his name in almost every sentence and phrase, and it sounds odd. He has grown used to it. Although sometimes he likes to think that there is another reason behind it, he knows it’s to keep him from drifting off and make sure he isn’t floating away, like he just did. He likes it though. He likes it even better when she delivers it in a scream or when it came out as a series of interrupted gurgles, when the blood was too much for her to utter any words out.

“ _Dreams_ are when I cut you open, I’m covered in your blood and you’re basking me in your screams of fear. _Reality_ is when I’m here, in this chair, my hands are clean, and you’re not screaming.”

He watches her intently as she swallows and scribbles something down on her paper.

“Do you still dream these kind of things,” the doctor asks, “as much as before?”

Heiji can’t help but notice the way she clutches her pen a little tighter. Like when her bloody, slippery fingers were wrapped around his forearm in her futile attempts to stop his impending movement. He loves every single skin-to-skin contact they have in his dreams.

He leans in to say, “every _night_.”

It almost sounds like a threat—but only because he’s the patient here and Toyama Kazuha is his doctor. And because Heiji is almost Heiji now, and they are going to do everything to make him better. 

“Thank you. That’s all for today, Heiji.” For a second, her eyes betray her effort to appear unnerved. But she makes no attempt to move away.

Heiji can hear the footsteps coming for him from a distance. Maybe he will be allowed to go outside before dinner. Maybe he will be allowed to read or draw tonight. He hopes that the nurse who is going to show up today will be Ran. She has a soft voice and is always kind unlike the others, and Heiji hasn’t once dreamt about killing her.

That guy, Kudō, whose room is right across his, seems to always ask for her. Unlike him, Heiji is fine with any of the nurses really. Although he prefers it to be anyone but Sonoko, she is always too loud. It would be nice if Dr. Toyama was his assigned nurse. Because while she has never once stepped into his room, he is already getting the best of dreams. He knows how much funner it could be.

“Hey doctor,” Heiji says. “When I’m better, you think I could still come to see you?”

Kazuha pauses in her movements and sheets of paper slip past her fingers. Heiji bends down to swiftly pick them up. “I mean, I know it’s going to take a while before that happens, but it would be nice.”

Kazuha forces the corners of her mouth up as the boy hands her back the sheets. She thinks of his frequent mentions of blood and guts and the difference between dreams and reality according to him. She truly wonders what normal would mean for a boy like him.

Reality, as Kazuha wrote in her document, is that this boy is a disturbed individual. He is a murderer, engraved even in his unconscious mind. That this boy, with his sharp, watchful eyes and playful smirks has cut open chests and pulled bodies apart, limb by limb.

Dreams, Kazuha then repeated to herself, is that Heiji believes in getting better, that he is getting better.

And fantasy—she tries hard not to think of how in the eight months with Heiji, Kazuha’s fantasy is her own wish for the same. In all honesty, there is never a cure for the wicked. It’s too late.

“Yes, Heiji, of course you can,” She answers at last.

She hates lying, but she has grown accustomed to doing it. She doesn’t have to lie to Heiji a lot, not as much as she has to toward her other patients like Kuroba Kaito, for example, or Kudō Shinichi. Those two are by no means easy patients, and Kazuha has her ways of dealing with them. Heiji however, seems to know how to peel her off, layer by layer, meeting after meeting. Kazuha has to do just the same to him so she won’t be at the losing end of this game. Kazuha has experienced firsthand inside four white walls with serial killers, that there has never been a decent line drawn to separate truth and lies. Especially not for people like Heiji. 

Heiji shows her his usual smirk of satisfaction. In a world where reality is a terrible thing to face, this is the only place he likes to return to.

“That’s great. Y’know doctor,” Heiji tilts his head to her as the door is opened from the outside, “Whenever you die in my dreams, it’s always in the _sweetest_ and utmost _beautiful_ of ways. I will always hold you dearly.“

And Kazuha smiles back at him.


	3. ATLA x DCMK — ShinRan, Kaito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito meets two very interesting waterbenders.
> 
> Alternatively, Shinichi and Ran rescued an Air Nomad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 13.08.19 — Misunderstanding
> 
> Characters: Kaito, Shinichi, Ran  
> Pairing: ShinRan  
> Warnings/Tags: Adventure/Fantasy, ATLA AU
> 
> I hope this comes out somewhat decent and isn’t confusing. Loosely based on Avatar: The Last Airbender/ The Legend of Aang!

It’s these soft arms that are rousing him, forcing him to pry his eyes open despite the heavy lashes gluing them together, and Kaito—he tries to blink, to make his bleary eyes focus. The face above him is the kindest he has ever seen.

With such beautiful, cloudy blue eyes, long hair like a halo of moonlight whipping around in the wind, Kaito’s sluggish mind determines that this must be a Goddess. Or a Spirit.

“You’re okay now. You’re safe.”

The voice is as harmonious as bells, sharp and clear yet somehow infinitely soft. Warmth caresses Kaito’s shoulders and a shudder wracks his frozen frame. The spirit’s face crumples in concern.

Kaito’s eyes slide close, darkness enveloping him just as he begins to feel himself moving, those arms locked around him and lifting, lifting, until Kaito feels like he might be flying. It would—and should—be horrifying, but all he can think of is the warmth of the spirit’s arms and the little soothing words.

_Ah, alright there we go, now if I just do this…_

_You’re safe, don’t worry._

—

When he awakens again it’s to a hand on his chin and hot, foul liquid trickling down the back of his throat. He chokes, spitting it out, his eyes flying open.

“I know, this has a bit of a repulsive taste. But you need all the nutrients you can get, and you can’t eat anything healthier than this!”

His eyes and throat burn and his brain is foggy but he can make out, even in the low lighting, the figure standing above him. His spirit, lingering over him and looking slightly less ethereal in the lamp-light, seems more like human now, with her cream-colored skin and dark hair and those eyes made not of glacial ice but warm blue sky.

“What’s your name?” she asks, a hand on his shoulder to prevent him from propping himself up.

All Kaito can think, all he can say is, “Who are you?”

The girl laughs, and Kaito couldn’t help but think that even her laughter sounds really light and has a gentle tone to it.

“I’d like to call you something other than Rockslide Boy, if that’s alright with you.”

He shudders, summons his energy, and against his better judgment, he finally croaks, “Kaito.”

“Kaito,” The girl repeats like those two syllables are preciously delicate.

“Now go back to sleep, you need rest. We’ll be there soon.”

Kaito obeys.

— 

There is something cool on his chest, chilling his skin and reaching down deep inside him. Strangely, nothing about it is unpleasant, but rather soothing like peppermint or a sea breeze or a cool bath after a long day of training.

It calms him, and through the overwhelmingly pleasurable sensation, he hears voices.

“This was a mistake, you should have just left him.”

“But why would I do that?”

The response sounds like a hiss. “That man sure as hell isn’t from one of our tribes.”

“No. He’s from the Earth Kingdom. Or did you not notice the color of the clothes he was wearing? And the coins we found?” Ah, Kaito recognizes this as the earlier girl’s voice.

“Does he look Earth people to you? Just because he was dressed like one doesn’t mean that he’s from there.” So came the gruff reply. This second voice sounds lower, definitely a man’s. 

“I was too busy trying to keep him alive, Shinichi! Why would I ask of his identity right after he survived a crash that big?”

There is some shuffling, and Kaito himself is fighting to stay awake so he can hear more. They are talking about him after all.

“I know you’re only trying to help him, but we have to be really careful out here. We can’t afford to trust the wrong person and you know that. Bringing back a stranger like this… I really don’t think it’s a good idea, Ran.”

Footsteps retreat and, soon after, the cold sensation in Kaito’s chest slips away. He shudders. He isn’t sure if he’s awake or asleep, but he feels oddly relieved of pain. There is a cool contact on his forehead, and in his sleep, he sees it as a faint glow in the darkness. He’s surprised to find that the glow is warm rather than cold, and it reminds of someone. _Aoko!_ He feels panic rising in his throat and the realization makes him feel as if his heart just dropped.

The same sensation moves from his chest to his forehead and he finds himself rapidly losing control of his consciousness. He falls back into the darkness, all the while chanting Aoko’s name as if she can hear and reach out to him. 

— 

The ground below him isn’t moving. When his eyes open and his head finally clears, this is the first thing he notices.

The second is that he cannot feel the wind.

His breath is caught in his throat and he shoots straight up to a sitting position, frantically searching around him for some explanation, some understanding. His eyes are immediately well-adjusted to the dim lighting around him. The walls surrounding him looking rough in texture, the humidity and the lack of air circulation in here all contributes to the gnawing in his gut, right next to something far more potent and familiar—the terror that has his heart and lungs and ribcage locked in a vice grip.

He tries to tell himself to calm down, and it almost works until he remembers he has absolutely every reason to panic. His brain, foggy as it had been the past few times he woke, is working on overdrive now and he cannot deny what he knows must be true:

Somehow, Aoko is not with him. 

Somehow, he is trapped underground. He knows from the way his body moves that he is still physically hindered from making a swift escape from wherever he’s at, but he has to do everything he can to go back out there and find her. She must be injured as badly as he is and Kaito can only pray that he get to her before anything worse happens.

He has heard tales—horror stories—of the Savagers who occupy the underground land. Cannibalism, his father had told him once. Amongst other things. Truly, nobody wants to know. What if Aoko—

“Kaito! You’re awake!”

There, standing across gigantic hole they’re occupying, peeking in from the dim passageway, is Ran.

When the girl moves, Kaito cannot keep his eyes from her—not because he fears a threat, but because Ran glides across the room like water flowing down a stream, every bit of her fluid. Her hair floats out behind her, settling over her shoulders when she comes to a stop at Kaito’s side and sits. Her bangs have been woven into two thin, loose braids and swooped back around her head and partially covering her ears, before falling with the rest of her hair down her back to the waist.

Her eyes, though—her eyes are exactly as Kaito remembers, as cloudy and blue as the sky.

“Not before you get better. How are you feeling?” Ran asks, her head cocked to the side. At this moment, a man emerges from the passageway and stands next to Ran, eyes staring at Kaito up and down like a prey. Kaito takes a moment to attempt to calm his breathing to a more even pace. 

“Good,” he says eventually, and it’s the understatement of the century. 

“Ah, we should get a better fire going, then.” Panic seizes Kaito’s chest all over again, until he notices the man making his way to what must be a makeshift hearth. “Your body will never heal if it still thinks you’re about to freeze to death.” His brow furrows in concentration as he strikes spark rocks together vigorously until a flame finally appears and catches on a log of bleached driftwood. 

He spots it, then, as his eyes scan the room—his brown bag, hanging on a hook on the wall.

“Is that…?”

Ran straightens, looking away from the fire, and winces. “Ah, yes. We’re sorry. Shinichi insisted on going through it, when we got back earlier.”

The said boy doesn’t look guilty in the slightest, instead narrowing his eyes at Kaito even further.

Ran crosses the room, grabbing the bag off of the hook and a pot of water from the ground, placing both at Kaito’s side. “I told him there’s probably nothing harmful in your bag, but he insist we be careful. We haven’t met the kindest people out here lately.”

Not a prisoner, then, at least until Kaito screws up or lets something slip. Did the Savagers take anything from his possession? He tugs open the bag, emptying its contents onto his lap.

“Was I alone when you found me?”

At his side, Ran fidgets. “Yes. Were there anyone else with you before all that happened?”

Kaito nods, not trusting his voice. His jaw already aches from the worry that he’s been holding in, but he cannot show weakness in front of these Savagers—at least no more than he already has.

“I’m sorry about whoever you had to leave behind. I hope you get to see them again.” The girl sounds sincere. However, Kaito knows better than to offer her any further information. She extends her hand out to touch his shoulder and offer comfort but he jerks away sharply.

“I need to leave.” Kaito doesn’t miss the way Ran’s shoulders deflate at his rejection. He has a more important problem at hand than to worry about to apologize to a Savager. 

“Believe me, we’re planning to let you go as soon as possible.” The guy named Shinichi sighed. Kaito senses exasperation.

Ran, to her credit, doesn’t seem bothered for long. She shifts her attention to the pot at her side and, in a single, fluid motion, streams the water out into mid-air and lets it surround her hands like gloves.

Kaito gasps and flinches back before he can even register what has happened—his voice lags far behind his reflexes, “…You’re a waterbender!”

Ran looks just as startled as Kaito. She draws back, ever so slightly, giving Kaito some distance. The smile on her face looks slightly forced. “Are you surprised?”

Kaito’s mind is racing. These two aren’t Savagers, and that renders his self-drawn conclusion completely out of the window. He has _misunderstood_ them and probably their intentions as well. What are they doing here anyway if they’re not part of the Savager people?

“Is it your first time seeing waterbending, then?”

“Us Water Tribes keep to ourselves,” Shinichi continues, eyes ever so calculating, “I don’t think you’d have many encounters with waterbenders, being from the Earth Kingdom.”

Kaito stays silent. This feels like a trap. Like he is supposed to correct him, like Shinichi is testing to see if he’ll correct him, but—no, they don’t know. They couldn’t possibly know the truth. All they have to go on is the contents of his bag, unambiguously Earth Kingdom, but ultimately reeks of secrets.

Kaito doesn’t reply to Shinichi one way or another, and Shinichi doesn’t pry further. Meanwhile, Ran is occupied in passing the water between her hands, streaming it back and forth and pulling out small flecks of dirt as she does. Kaito finds himself unable to look away, the movement utterly mesmerizing.

“Okay, Kaito, can you lay back?”

Kaito looks up to see Ran’s gaze intent on him, hands covered once again in purified water, extended slightly toward Kaito. Every single hair on Kaito’s body stands straight up. His spine goes ramrod straight.

“Why?”

Ran blinks. “To heal you, of course! I thought you said you needed to leave?”

“Yeah,” Kaito shakes his head as if to clear his mind, “I need to find someone. But you, how are you gonna heal me?”

“You don’t remember?” Ran’s eyes widen in confusion.

“Don’t remember what?”

“On the way back here. I explained it then, I thought you were awake, but maybe I was wrong.” Ran frowns. “I’m a waterbender-healer. Well, I’m trying to be. But I promise, I know what I’m doing! You’re in good hands.”

Kaito notes how much she resembles Aoko, and it’s kind of creepy. This girl looks as if what Aoko would look like if she was born as one of the Water tribespeople, with their neat, braided hairstyle and long flowing robes. Kaito fidgets, only then realizing that he has been sleeping on a hard surface. Honestly, he could care less. As long as he gets to go out there and finds Aoko as soon as possible.

Ran laughs lightly. “Have you never heard of this? It’s nothing to worry about, I assure you. I’ve tried to heal you as much as I could while you were sleeping, but there are a few that I missed earlier, can I…?”

She’s holding out her hands, still surrounded in floating water, toward Kaito’s left hand. There are a few nasty bruises on his arm, he observes. Being a human catapult during the rockslide had left his body completely torn up, he’s pretty sure he broke a lot of bones—but, come to think of it, he feels great, not at all like someone whose bones are broken everywhere.

Kaito extends his hand and Ran takes it in hers. The water in her hand envelopes his arm almost completely. There’s a small crease between Ran’s eyebrows as her eyes narrow in focus, but Kaito’s gaze is torn from Ran’s face as he notices something start to glow.

The water. It’s the water, glowing brightly that for a moment he fears his skin is about to be burned. There’s no heat, though, only a tingling sensation, and when Ran’s hands pull the water away, the bruises are almost completely faded. Aside from his constant discomfort (if he could gnaw at his nonexistent collar, he would. This uneasiness is _suffocating_ him.)

“Woah,” Kaito silently agrees, his eyes flickering wide back and forth between his hand and Ran’s pleased smile.

“See? All I do is use the water to connect with your chi, and redirect it to help your body heal itself faster. Nothing to worry about at all!”

“Nothing at all,” Kaito echoes, clearly stunned. “And is this, can you all Water people…?”

“No, Ran is one of the few people to manage to do that,” explains Shinichi, the rough tone from before completely gone.

“As I said though, I’m still learning. But don’t worry, Kaito, I’ll have you back in good health in no time!”

And, despite the thousands of questions and uncertainties and fears-bordering-on-terrors bouncing around his mind, Kaito realizes he can believe in them.

“Where are we anyway? Why are we taking shelter in Savager-like habitat?” Kaito fires the questions he has been aching to ask. His throat feels extremely dry and it hurts when he swallows. He circles a hand around the front part of his neck to help ease the discomfort.

Shinichi looks amused, and he responds without skipping a beat. “Quite sharp for someone from Earth Kingdom. Did you think we were Savagers?” 

Kaito hears a high-pitched “ _What?!_ ” from Ran. He figures she must be offended, but he wants his answers when he asks for them, “You didn’t answer my questions.”

“We’ve exposed enough that we’re Water Tribe, being in Earth Kingdom territory, and that’s already more than you need to know. As for the location, I cannot inform you any further without risking everything. For all we know, you could be reporting to your King and have us arrested immediately.” Shinichi points out, a smirk on his face, but not looking snide. 

Under normal circumstances, Kaito would have shot him a disparaging look of what-the-actual-hell and bit back with a quick-witted reply. He doesn’t want to admit this, but he is in dire need of help. He prefers working alone, but he knows he needs all the help he can get if he wants to find Aoko quickly. His arrogance won’t get him anywhere at this point, let alone to earn anyone’s trust. He figures the sooner he confides in them, the sooner they can help him. 

“Look, I think you _misunderstood_ ,” starts Kaito slowly. He draws a long breath.

Shinichi has one eyebrow raised like he’s been expecting this, and crosses his arms, waiting for Kaito to proceed with his explanation.

Kaito turns to face Ran, throwing her an apologetic look (at least he hopes it comes across as apologetic). He continues, choosing his words carefully, “My friend and I—we’re far away from home and we’ve been staying in the city of Gaoling. We decided to keep moving north but unfortunately, the whole region north of Gaoling is, as you know it, terribly mountainous terrains and that’s where you found me.”

Ran finally exhales. She knows where this is going. Shinichi is right from the beginning. She doesn’t like it when Shinichi is proven right, but then again, he always is. 

Kaito squares himself in the shoulders to admit, “I used to be part of the Air Nomads.” 

_That_ , Shinichi didn’t see coming. He has his suspicions that Kaito was sent from the Fire Nation, the thought that he might be an airbender never once crossed his mind. Then it hit him all at once. The short ragged breaths (even though Ran said that Kaito sustains no internal injuries to his respiratory system), his hands constantly coming up to feel his neck and chest.

“Yeah, the air flow down here isn’t exactly the best,” Shinichi grins sheepishly. 

Beside him, Ran is starting to panic. She rises up from her seat and exclaims, “Oh dear, you must be very uncomfortable down here.” 

“I’ll live,” Kaito assures her, nodding in affirmation. He is grateful, and he certainly owes her a big one. If she hadn’t found him, he wouldn’t have been healed and would probably still be lying out there, heavily injured and in no condition to find nor help Aoko.

Sure, he’s separated from her right now. But he’s determined he can find her.

He always does, anyway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for clarification:  
> Shinichi and Ran are both waterbenders from the Water Tribe, and Kaito is an airbender who used to be part of the Air Nomads.


	4. ATLA x DCMK (II) — ShinRan, HeiShin, Kaito

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito, Shinichi and Ran are now in a village in Earth Kingdom. Kaito proves himself to be practically useful, meanwhile Shinichi realizes he's quite familiar with the area.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 14.08.19 — Character A protects Character B
> 
> Characters: Heiji, Kaito, Shinichi, Ran  
> Pairing: ShinRan, HeiShin brotp  
> Warnings/Tags: ATLA AU
> 
> I couldn’t hold back from writing more of this AU, so here’s a continuation! And I’d like to apologize in advance if there are some parts that are confusing and not canon to Avatar: The Last Airbender / The Legend of Aang, it’s because I made some stuff up to fit this fic.

The sun is infinitely brighter outside, warming their clammy skins as they walk away from the inn and into the heart of the town. It’s barely past sunrise, but time moves quickly during this time of the year, especially when they’re scouting the location for a missing person.

River Village is lovely and peaceful. Everyone greets each other even when they are all the way across the street, children are running around carefreely without a hint of worry on their faces. It seems like everyone here is on first-name basis. 

This section of the market is probably the most crowded part of the town, Shinichi observes. There are merchants everywhere, selling all kinds of things—there are fruit stalls, jewelry stalls, liquor stalls, and one that catches Shinichi’s eyes is the one with stacks of scrolls displayed on the table. Ran herself can’t hold back from walking toward one of the stalls to get a better look at the robes.

Shinichi doesn’t blame her. They’ve been on the move for a while. They do have extra clothes but Ran is unable to wear most of what she brought from home because the climate is very different in this part of the world.

Kaito has also advised them to ditch their distinctive Water Tribe kimono-like tunics because they attract unnecessary attention, and to start wearing outfits with more of Earth Kingdom’s elemental color in them (It’s green, and Shinichi is not a big fan. “It’s not that I like wearing green either,” Kaito retorts). They do have some coins to spare, so he gives her a nod as a green light for her to purchase something for herself. 

Ran makes her choice rather quickly. She has her eyes on a fairly beautiful piece, with a pale green dress as the under layer and a sleeveless outer tunic in a contrasting dark green. The booth owner is quick to give her the price, and it was a ridiculously high number. Ran, being the sweetest soul, is already reaching into her pocket to pay when Kaito pulls her by the arm.

“You’re gonna overpay for that piece of cotton; you don’t look like you’re from this area. He purposely offered you a higher price and squeezed all the profit he can get.” Kaito clicks his tongue in distaste, after watching the way Ran is about to close the deal on what would have been her new tunic.

“Think about it in a positive way, maybe he has a big family to feed.” Ran, although kind of surprised, is unaffected by his remark. 

Kaito only shakes his head and mouths, “Watch me.”

He makes his way down a few stalls and stops by another one that also sells tunics and other apparels. He picks a set of bright green and yellow bundle, smooths his hand over it back and front to get a feel of its texture, and proceeds to drop the stack of garment on the counter. He sees Ran and Shinichi in the corner of his eyes, watching him as he starts talking to the man at the booth, both of whom ended up chattering animatedly. Kaito then hands half a roll of coins (Ran turns to Shinichi, gobsmacked, “That cheap?”) to the man as his payment. 

If Shinichi isn’t paying close attention, he wouldn’t have caught the tiny, but swift movement of Kaito’s fingers. A gust of wind suddenly blows in the stall owner’s face and he reflexively squeezes his eyes shut. Within that second, Kaito has already had an extra scarf snuck into his other pocket. When the owner has both his eyes opened again, Kaito is already waving him a goodbye, to which he cluelessly waves back.

He skips back to Ran and Shinichi, trying to hold back a smirk on his face, to eagerly show them his achievement. 

“Next time, let me handle our shopping necessities,” Kaito now allows the smirk to consume his face, rubbing his victory.

“How’d you only pay such a small amount? What did you even say to him?” Ran asks, genuinely curious as to how the airbender closed the deal. 

“You just have to be extremely charming when swaying a deal your way.” Kaito doesn’t try at all to hide the smugness in his voice, tossing the two-piece garment and with the addition of a stolen scarf over to Ran. “Consider this my thanks for healing me.”

Shinichi stays silent, as if he’s deeply contemplating the logistics of Kaito’s way. Kaito suddenly gets nervous. 

He is so used to manipulating store owners, coercing them to his benefit, and even goes so far as to steal sometimes. His skillset is what Aoko and him rely on the most, to get through their days. It’s either resorting to his tricks or having no food, nor clothes, nor any place to stay. He wonders where Aoko has been taking shelter for the past few nights. Does she need new clothes after the disaster? Should he get something for her so when he finally finds her, she has something to change into? But if he goes around to steal again with Shinichi and Ran watching him…

Kaito knows the two waterbenders probably think what he does is immoral, but he does it without any regret. 

“We could actually save some money.” Shinichi comments. 

Kaito lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. His face breaks out into a large smile. Despite Shinichi’s Mr-Right-attitude, Kaito is starting to respect him. In the past week that they’ve been together, he has learned that Shinichi’s cautiousness has actually done them nothing but good. Kaito has never caught him off-guard, not even once.

So when Shinichi stops in his tracks and doesn’t respond to either Ran or himself, Kaito is sort of amused. They’ve reached the east end of the market. There are no more stalls up ahead, only a marble fountain and what seems like a vast area of woodland behind it. 

“I’ve been here before!” exclaims Shinichi. “It’s been a few years, and I think a huge part of this town has been reconstructed, along with the market. There used to be a dome over there,” He points at the north end of the market, “Maybe it was demolished. But I know that fountain when I see it. And that was an area I frequented as well.” He explains, jerking his chin to the direction of the woods. 

—

_Young Shinichi loved tagging along with his father. Being one of the Elder Advisors of the Tribal Council meant Yūsaku had to do rounds of their whole territory, all the highs and lows of the village. Shinichi made sure he woke up early enough every day to go with his dad on his morning rounds._

_His father always had stories to tell him; about why this igloo hut looked different from that one, why the Palace is always glimmering even during cloudy mornings, what the big giant pendants around the necks of some of the older girls are._ _“They’re betrothal necklaces, Shinichi. It means they’re getting married soon,” explains his father. When he was out to play with Ran later that day, he very enthusiastically told her about the ugly betrothal necklace she eventually had to wear in the future._

_It soon became more than just rounds. His father eventually had to sail away twice every month, leaving North Pole for a few days. Shinichi had heard rumors about the possibility of an upcoming war, he should’ve known that his father was one of the few delegates that were tasked to go out there, then come back bearing reports._

_He wanted to go with him, and so he did._

_It seemed that the trips his father had gone off to, were to the same town every single time. Shinichi didn’t bother to find out the name of the town, but his father told him that they were in a village in some part of the Earth Kingdom. He was beaming with pride, for certainly no one else around his age had ever been out of the realm of North Pole. He couldn’t wait to go back home to tell all his friends about how he had been to Earth Kingdom._

_When his father was called in for the meeting in the town dome, Shinichi wandered away from center of the town, past the loud voices echoing from the mine, past the small downtown area and shops, past the sporadic houses that dot the outer edges of the town and into the woods._

_He ran around and explored as much as he could, anything to make for a great story later back home. He loved the feeling of his feet padding gently on the soft earth floor beneath him. It’s very different from the cold, rock-hard ice that he was used to._ There were so so so many trees here in Earth Kingdom _, Shinichi thought in glee._

_He came back with his father the following week and then after, and he always made sure that he had enough time to play in the woods. Never had he seen another person in the woods—they were not that deep, but surely confusing, free of trails and pathways that mar their surface (besides the main road going east, but that’s more south than where Shinichi always was), which was why he’s surprised when he chanced upon a monstrous lizard this time._

_Shinichi analyzed the creature, a mere few feet away from him. This was a Beaded Basilisk Lizard, if he remembered his father’s words correctly. “Beaded Basilisk Lizards are carnivorous and venomous, and they chew their venom into their prey,” his father told him once._

_This lizard stood about four feet taller than him, even if he ran with all his might, it would definitely catch up to him within a few steps. Maybe he could splash some water to the lizard’s eyes and quickly hide from its sight?_ That will definitely work _,_ _he thought,_ that’s why Dad always makes me carry this water pouch everywhere.

 _He slowly reached downward to his water pouch, ready to guide the water out… only to find that it’s empty._ Dear Holy Spirit of the Ocean and Spirit of the Moon _, he grunted inwardly. He totally forgot that he had drunk all his water supply because running around and climbing trees up and down was tiring. Way more tiring than all those waterbending training back home._

_A distant sound moving in a pattern toward them caught both his and the lizard’s attention. Shinichi used this chance to hide behind the largest tree within his range. His thoughts raced, but the adrenaline forced to keep him moving. He chanced a peak around the tree._

_Something jumped out of the trees and landed next to the creature. With a loud cry, it—_ he _, Shinichi realized—drew on his sword, slashed the creature on its right leg and quickly ducked to avoid the whipping of its tail. The dark-skinned boy looked no more taller than Shinichi himself, and he was winging a sword half his size._

_Judging by the amount of blood, Shinichi observed that the sword left a fairly light wound on the creature. The other boy took no notice of this and kept jumping here and there, as if encircling the creature to slash its limbs as often as he could. Then Shinichi realized that the boy wasn’t trying to cut off any of part of the creature. He was trying to inflict as much injury as he could on it, possibly to slow down its movements. Or at least he was, until its scaly and beady tail smacked the boy on his knees. He was inevitably flipped over in the air and landed on his back, his sword strayed out of his reach._

_A sharp intake of breath almost choked Shinichi, and without even thinking he stood out from the trees and yelled, “Hey!”_

_The creature turned his attention away from the dark-skinned boy. Shinichi felt like he just swallowed a boulder at the way it’s now staring at him with a deadly intent._

_He didn’t wait to see what it would do, just turned and started running as fast as his feet would take him. He ran past thickets of thorns that scratched his pants, and small trickles of blood ran down, but he hadn’t time to think of it, couldn’t even feel the stinging pain as he pounded the earth beneath him. If only he was an earthbender,_ he thought _, he could throw huge chunks of rock at the lizard. Or better yet, dig a hole to hide in._

_Just when he felt it was catching up to him, he heard a gurgle, the kind that builds bile up in the back of someone’s throat, followed by the hard thunk of something hitting the ground. Shinichi tried to stop himself, but skidded across the brush and fell to his hands and knees, panting._

_He took a moment to catch his breath and pushed himself back up onto his shaky legs, and walked the few paces to where the creature was flailing around, blood pouring from the back of its neck. Not a minute later, it turned to another direction and scurried away, its humongous beady tail whipping weakly behind it._

_He watched the other boy, seemingly not much younger or older than him, who had jet black hair with equally thick eyebrows. He had the tip of his sword plunged lightly on the ground he was standing on as he rested his weight on the hilt._ _The boy turned around, scanning the forest. After making sure that the creature was really gone, he walked towards Shinichi._

_“You’re from one of the Water Tribes?” was the first thing the boy said, his mouth curved up into a smirk._

_“What’s yer name? Why are ya here?” He continued to press on unabashedly._

_Shinichi replied with a scowl, “I’m Kudō Shinichi, from the Northern Water Tribe, the oldest one. And my father is here for the Delegatory Meeting.” He felt no obligation to give an answer, but he wanted the other boy to know that he is not to be underestimated, that his father is of importance._

_“Ah, ya mean that meeting in that giant dome?” asked the boy with his lips stretched in a grin._

_“Who are you anyway?” Shinichi asked, brows furrowed. He felt his annoyance slowly melting away at the easygoing behavior the other boy was displaying._

_The boy regarded him with something akin to excitement in his eyes (Shinichi was a little confused,_ how could this boy be this relaxed after having just encountered a monster? _), before answering, “Name’s_ Hattori Heiji _.”_

_“You’re not an earthbender, are you?” Shinichi voiced his suspicion. This boy, Heiji, was wielding his sword the whole time. What earthbender would do that when they were literally on the ground?_

_Heiji shook his head. “I’m more of a.. Warrior, I guess.” He said with a twinge of confidence. He started walking back to the direction of the town, dragging his sword beside him, and Shinichi jumped into step with him._

_“Heh. Did you know that that creature is a—”_

_“Beaded Basilisk Lizard.” Shinichi finished Heiji’s sentence. He turned to look at Heiji with a smug smile. “Just because I’m from the Northern Realms doesn’t mean I don’t know anything about the variation of creatures here, you know.”_

_Heiji pondered about it for a second. “I’m not saying that you don’t know anything. But I certainly think that I know more than you do.”_

_Shinichi snickered. “I know waterbending. All you can do is wield a sword.” Seriously, he was suppressing the urge to stick his tongue out._

_“Oh yeah?” Heiji’s voice seemed like it was raised by an octave, followed by a howl of laughter. “Then why didn’t I see you do any of your water magic on that Basilisk Lizard earlier?”_

_“I was thirsty and ended up drinking my water supply,” admitted Shinichi lamely. He crossed his arms and shot Heiji a look, “I didn’t have that much water on me to begin with. Didn’t think I would have to fight today… but I do can waterbend! I’ll show you when we get to the town fountain.”_

_But once they got back to the town, he heard their signature Northern Tribe foghorn blow—a sign that their ship is about to leave. His father would be mad at him if he was late, and possibly forbid him from coming along for the meeting next week. But Shinichi wanted to come back, so he did the logical thing and started to make his way down to the pier._

_“I really am a good waterbender. I’ll show you next week!” Shinichi called out. The last thing he saw was the massive grin on Heiji’s face, mirroring his own. Things were going to be so much fun the next time around._

_During his waterbending lessons, he was more determined than ever. He even skipped his daily morning rounds with his father as well as his playtime with Ran, just for extra training. He had to get better in the next few days, preferrably before next week. He was going to show that Hattori boy how powerful his waterbending was._

_Over the next few weeks, he quickly found that he enjoyed spending time with Heiji more than any of his friends. Well, except Ran, but she’s different from the rest. Heiji knew a lot more things than any of the kids back home and they could end up talking about so many things that he couldn’t even bring up to his friends. Most of the things Shinichi knew came from his father, but he wasn’t sure how Heiji knew as much as he did. Sometimes they would bring their heated discussions to some of the town people—awakening laughters and bringing ruffles to their heads—when all they wanted was to know who was on the winning side of the argument._

_He was kind of disappointed when Heiji told him that he wouldn’t be able to meet him in the woods every week anymore. He didn’t specify where or why he was leaving, but both of them had parted ways with their heads and noses high._

_They were really young then. Shinichi had no doubt that he would meet Heiji again._

—

 _Many years have passed_ , Shinichi muses. 

“Say, Shinichi, isn’t this where you said your best friend from the foreign land lives?” Ran’s voice gently pulls him back from his thoughts.

“Ah,” Shinichi nods, scratching the back of his head. Back then, he was always so pumped after their playtimes and whenever he got back home he would always tell his everyone about the cool things he and Heiji did. Shinichi’s mother thought he regarded that boy with such adoration and at one point started referring him “Shinichi’s foreign best friend” although Shinichi himself always denied it outright. “I don’t think he lives here anymore. I don’t even think he ever lived here.”

Kaito’s interest suddenly spikes. He takes a moment to evaluate Shinichi, taking in his face and his seemingly ever bored expression. “You had a best friend?” He chuckles, and Shinichi kind of feels mocked.

“We’re more like… rivals.” Shinichi settles with a shrug, no anger or annoyance in any ounce of his body, the corners of his lips tugged up in a grin, “But I guess you could call us that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify again:  
> Shinichi and Ran are both waterbenders from the Northern Water Tribe, Kaito is an airbender who used to be a part of the Air Nomads, and Heiji is from the Fire Nation if it's unclear!


	5. Twisted Fairytale — Kaizuha friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito is here to rescue Sleeping Beauty. Except..  
> 1) The princess is very much awake, and  
> 2) She has ridiculously long hair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 15.08.19 — Twisted Fairytale
> 
> Pairing: KaiZuha friendship  
> Warnings/Tags: Fairytale AU (specifically Tangled/Rapunzel)
> 
> I don’t know if I twisted this right! As always, its HeiKazu and KaiAo as well as (mentioned) ShinRan. I’ve been longing to write platonic KaiZuha! :D Also idk the thought of him losing his cool is just overall comedic.

****“Fear not, for I am here to rescue you from your deadly slumber!” exclaims Kaito in triumph as he stands at the foot of the tower with one foot up on a tree stump, his dashing white cape billowing majestically in the breeze.

He’s not exactly expecting anything, but he certainly isn’t expecting a response. So when a girl with her hair up in a ponytail soon pokes her head out the window while stifling a yawn, he is majorly shocked.

“… who are you?” shouts the girl in response, staring down at him with an eyebrow raised. 

Kaito flinches as he takes in the sight of his princess, who has been known worldwide as Sleeping Beauty, but is very much _awake_. “Uh,” he says lamely while squinting up at the window, “You’re already awake?”

"Of course—I wake up every morning,“ she deadpans. "I’ve been doing that for the past eighteen years, in fact. Is there supposed to be something wrong with that?”

“Oh, good Lord, the spell was broken that early?” Kaito frowns, positively bewildered. “Does this mean… another prince got here earlier than me?”

“Well, I haven’t been getting any visitors at all, but Mother comes to visit once in a while. Actually, I shouldn’t even be talking to strangers. Who the hell are you, anyway?” the girl questions warily.

“I should be asking you the same question,” Kaito sighs in exasperation. “In fact, I have a lot more to ask. If you don’t mind, I’ll be coming up now. We need to talk.”

—

He proceeds to spend the next half hour inching his way up the side of the tower with the help of a grappling hook fashioned from some rope and the metal frame of his father’s old parasol, as the ponytailed princess watches rather amusedly from the window. (Wait, why is he even carrying his father’s parasol again?) 

Just as Kaito clambers onto the window sill, panting, the girl lunges at him and yanks him inwards into the tower, knocking him to the floor with an impressive martial art-like move and pinning him down with all her body weight.

“What the hell?” Kaito gasps, completely taken aback. “Is that really necessary? I’m here to _rescue_ you!" 

The girl leans down to take a good look at his face, still keeping a strong hold and him. He curses Fate for giving him such a violent princess. 

"Oh, I’m sorry,” She finally says after a rather long and awkward stare-down. She lets go of Kaito and stands up, dusting her skirt, looking a little sheepish. “It’s just that…I’ve never had anyone aside from Mother in my tower before, it’s a little… intimidating. Had to make sure you weren’t going to kill me or anything.” She adds, “Plus, I have a lot of spare time up here, so I’ve been practicing aikido.”

Kaito winces as he slowly gets up from the floor, rubbing his elbows and knees. “That was a bit of an overreaction, if you ask me. Anyway, now that you know I’m not out to assassinate you, I’m Kaito, otherwise known as Prince of the Moonlight. And judging by the _look_ on your face right now, you don’t like the second name, so just call me Kaito.”

“Very well. I’m Kazuha, but you might’ve heard people use my birth name—Rapunzel. Why do you need to rescue me, anyway?”

He vaguely gestures to the room they’re in. And for the first time, he notices her hair. More specifically, the _length of her hair_. It’s literally in a loop, occupying each corners of the room. “Well, I was sent here to rescue a sleeping princess, but right now, I’m just thoroughly confused by everything. And why the hell is your hair that long anyway? Your head must weigh a ton!”

She wisely chooses to ignore his last remarks. "Oh, Princess Aurora, you mean? Although we don’t call her that here, we call her Ran, because Aurora is a little bit too twisty of a word. She’s in the next kingdom. I believe you’ve come to search in the wrong place.” There’s amusement written all over Kazuha’s face at this point.

“No—wait. Sleeping Beauty is the princess that Prince Shinichi is tasked to find. I’m supposed to rescue the princess from the kingdom of Far Far Away, who like, transform as a human only between sunrise and sunset. If I remember correctly, her birth name is Fiona or something.” exclaims Kaito in desperation.

Kazuha walks to the window—the only window in her whole tower room, and points at the greenery even further away. “Then I think you’re looking for Princess Aoko!”

“What’s up with you princesses and your code names? Honestly you’re confusing me even more.” Kaito shakes his head in despair. Aurora, Ran. Fiona, Aoko. And what was Kazuha’s birth name again?

“That’s kind of the goal here, actually. We have to come up with a plan to throw off the bad guys. It’s worked pretty well so far! People come here bellowing things like ‘We’re here to kidnap you, Rapunzel’ and I simply tell them that I’m Kazuha, not Rapunzel. They’d always leave feeling very confused.” She laughs, obviously proud of her own accomplishment.

“Makes sense. So about Princess Aoko—”

“Right! She’s the only one who becomes an ogress during nighttime.”

“Ogress?!”

Kazuha laughes lightly. She’s having fun teasing this strange prince with his equally strange, messy hair. “Nope, I was joking. It’s just that she has poor eyesight, so she doesn’t really venture out during the night. Also, her tower is two more kingdoms over in that direction.”

“Are you kidding me?!” Kaito continues to talk to himself as he takes out his map to check his location. He proceeds to pull out his monocle from his breast pocket and puts it over his right eye to get a good look at his map. “I must’ve gotten the wrong map. Didn’t even notice it when it got switched. What kingdom are we in anyway? … This is why I should start wearing my monocle more often.”

Kazuha can see how compatible Aoko and Kaito would be. Heck, Kaito even has his own set of monocle. She wonders why Aoko is so adamant about revealing the fact about her eyesight to anyone.

Kaito rubs his temples. “I am so, royally, _screwed_. How am I supposed to reach there in a week? It took me a whole month to even get here!”

Kazuha honestly doesn’t know what to say to this, so she just leans against the windowsill, tapping her foot while Kaito paces back and forth, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he thinks and thinks. 

“The Council of Kings won’t be pleased.” He murmurs to himself, angry at how he could’ve gotten his map switched. And to think that he’s not even a real prince! He’s just a _thief_ with big ambitions, following in his father’s footsteps as the renowned KID. If the Kings find out that he’s failed his mission and the fact that he’s not a prince, he’s doomed to spend the rest of his life in a dungeon.

Kazuha woefully suggests, rubbing her eyes in an act of weariness. “Listen, I have an idea. Why don’t I just go back with you, and when we meet the other prince and your supposed princess, we can switch places. Aoko and I are pretty close, we often send letters to each other. I’m sure she will understand. Hm?”

“That might actually work, provided if Princess Aoko and whoever rescues her don’t get the castle first before we do.” He agrees a little reluctantly.

“It’s settled then!” Kazuha cheers adorably, excitement very evident in her voice. “I’ve never been out of this tower before. Mother always says that the outside is full of evil and selfish people, but look at how it’s just so, so beautiful out there.”

Kaito smiles back at her. He’s heard that out of the three Tower Princesses, Rapunzel is the one who has been in the tower the longest, since she was taken away when she’s still a baby. “It is,” He agrees, making his way to the door, “I can guarantee you that you’re gonna love it.”

“Wait, Kaito! This tower doesn’t have any stairs, in case you didn’t know.”

“Okay. Easy, no worries. I have my most trusty grappling hook for us to use.” He says with a dismissive wave of his hand. Years of being a thief gave him experience in climbing and maneuvering. He walks over to the window sill, peering outside. The grappling hook lies on the grass below.

“On second thoughts… you were saying something about no stairs?“

There’s a brief moment of silence as Kaito slumps his shoulders forward, like he’s giving up dealing with his life at this point. Seriously, when he volunteered for the Tower Princesses Rescue Mission, he didn’t think it’s going to be this challenging.

Kazuha sighs. "That’s what my _hair_ is for.”

She joins him by the windowsill and attempts to throw her hair off her right shoulder and down the side of the tower. She’s pulling and pulling, and pulling, then pushing and pushing and pushing. And as Kaito watches in awe, he can’t help but notice how her hair seems to have a life of its own. Her hair is superbly smooth and silky, and he simply slides down with ease.

Far better than using his grappling hook.

“Also, your prince is a total dumbass. Good luck—you’re gonna need it when you finally meet him.” 

_For what it’s worth,_ he thinks, _this Princess is quite entertaining_. Their journey back will be fun.


	6. Murphy's Law — HeiShinKai brotp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito Kid is getting real acquainted with Japan's best high school Detective, the very people he wants to take down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 16.08.19 — Murphy's Law
> 
> Characters: Heiji, Kaito, Shinichi  
> Pairing: HeiKaiShin brotp  
> Warnings/Tags: none, really.
> 
> Murphy's Law, a popular adage: "Things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance," or more commonly, "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong."

Kaito Kid’s out to get the Great Detectives of the East and West.

The thing about it was that Conan had always _known_ that Kaito Kid’s would go after him sooner or later. It’s bound to happen.

The other thing about it was that Heiji never _knew_ Kaito Kid was going to go after him as well. He hadn’t crossed paths with the said thief that much, so he really didn’t understand why he’s on the list as well. If anything, he was supposed to go after Kid, not the other way round. 

Kaito had been wanting to get rid of Kudō Shinichi, or rather Edogawa Conan, whom he had unluckily encountered more often than he liked to think. Hattori Heiji, on the other hand, was a more like a potential threat. Heiji might not have any grudge against him at the current moment, but who’s to say that he wouldn’t? If he’s going after the Detective of the East, why not go for the Detective of the West too? Those two seemed like they always had each other’s backs. Two birds, one stone. Besides, Kaito had this bugging feeling that Heiji didn’t particularly _like_ him, considering what happened not long ago when he was trying to steal the biggest conch pearl in the world, the Fairy’s Lip.

He briefly thought about assassinating Makoto Kyōgoku along with them. The guy was huge and ripped and possibly the most life-threatening, if he’s being honest. But keeping the karate champion alive was probably more beneficial for his sanity, if he’s taking the Suzuki heiress into consideration.

So it was settled.

His plan was to quickly shoot them from the back without them knowing, however tempting it might be for him to strike a conversation and smugly tell them that he’s the winner. Apparently Lady Luck was on their side for the night, because when Kaito pressed the trigger he found out he had no bullets. The timing was just really bad, because that’s the exact moment when his victims turned around and spotted him posing in action, wearing an unreadable face while looking at his handgun in disbelief.

The second time Kaito Kid set his plan in motion, he tried to look like an appropriate villain by dragging the machete (he stole this) along the floor of the rooftop, but it ended up wedged in one of the cracks on the dilapidated tiles. _Exactly how old is this museum they’re in?_ he sighed inwardly. He had a few minutes before the police were supposed to get to the rooftop, so he went ahead and tried to wriggle his machete out. 

“Oi, ya need a hand?” He heard one of them say. He turned to look at them; the darker skinned lad was grinning and inching forward to him, the other tantei just standing there with his hands in his pockets. So he fled.

The two detectives caught onto his plan pretty quickly and mused that Kaito Kid was not much of a threat. Because in fact, there’s always some sort of obstacle with his assassination attempts.

Kaito decided that it’s time for a change of plans. Instead of targeting the both of them when they’re together, it might be easier to work his plan when they’re alone. 

Conan did tell Heiji to be careful, because between the two of them, he knew how to take care of himself better. They both had incredibly bad lucks, attracting dead bodies wherever they go. But the latter had a knack for getting into trouble way more often than he did. If anything, Conan’s not worried about his own safety at all. He didn’t even so much as flinch when he saw Kaito Kid standing at the side of his bed at night one time, gun in hand. _Haibara was genuinely scarier_ , he told Heiji while recounting that time in the hospital when she did the same.

The day Kaito Kid forgot to bring the detonator to the explosives in Heiji’s room, the latter laughed and motioned for former to chat with him. “Ya might as well,” he said, “It’s 5a.m, no one else is awake, and I have about one and a half hour before I go to Kazuha’s to wake that _aho_ up.”

Kaito did, and he chuckled awkwardly and rubbed his hands on his white pants. “Sure. Besides, I’m totally skipping school today. Be prepared though, next time, you’re really going down.”

Heiji barked a laugh. “Ya want some tea? My parents drink tea every morning.” He left his room and came back with two cups, offering one to the other boy. 

The thief shrugged. He eyed it suspiciously before taking it over from Heiji’s hand. “Is this poisoned?”

“Isn’t that what you’re out to do?” Heiji’s lips were back in his usual grin.

For someone he very nearly killed (and nearly kissed, but that was one time. _ONE TIME_ , Kaito screamed at himself), Heiji sure was acting very casually as if nothing of that sort ever happened between them. Which spurred a thought into his mind.

“How are things between you and Kazuha-chan?”

Heiji’s cheeks exploded into a blush but he narrowed his eyes at the all-white-clad boy. “Why do you care? And who are you to call her Kazuha-chan?”

Kaito Kid calmly slurped his tea. “Please, I’m a professional. I make it a point to know everything about who I was or will disguise as, and I have to be updated about my victims. Also about Kazuha-chan, I even know her bra size, which I bet you don’t even have access to.”

“YA _LITTLE_ —”

“How many times have you tried to confess?” he interrupted and casually raised one eyebrow.

“I don’t even know anymore,” Heiji groaned somberly. “There’s always something in the goddamn way. Crazy old lawyer lady, zombies, Japan Self-Defense Forces, SWAT team—I wouldn’t even be surprised if the _Prime Minister_ shows up next.”

The other boy was amused and mostly surprised at how similar their situations were. However, he knew that this detective, as impulsive and reckless as he was, will keep trying to make his grand romantic confession no matter how many times he had failed and would probably continue to fail. He cleared his throat. “You know, I’m kind of in the same position right now.”

“Yeah,” Heiji nodded, “I noticed. Kudō and I both did. You’re good at stealing and escaping but not killing. In fact, you’re pretty lame.”

“Speaking of whom, I heard Kudo Shinichi confessed to Ran, who is now his girlfriend, in London and they kind of already had their first kiss. Unless you up your game, Hattori, you’re gonna die a sad virgin without ever confessing to Kazuha-chan.” 

Heiji gave him a glare and growled, “Shut up.”

“Besides, don’t you have anything better to do than going around stealing gems and trying to kill good people like us? Don’t you like, have a girlfriend or something?” asked Heiji incredulously. 

Kaito thought about it for a moment, cherishing the image of Aoko that popped into his mind. He should probably send her a text later to tell her that he’s getting to school late today, if he could get there at all. He knew for sure that it’s impossible for him to get to school all the way from Osaka before the morning bell rings. "She’s just a childhood friend,” he said.

“Uhuh,” Heiji mocked in a singsongy tone, “That’s what _we all said_.”

—

The bell rang just a few minutes ago. Conan was on his way out of his school building when he saw a large shadow next to him and looked up just in time to see a piano fall and crash into the ground next to him.

“Tantei-san?” someone from above called, and Conan didn’t even need to look to see who was responsible for the death of their school’s piano. Hattori had told him about Kaito Kid’s nice little visit to his bedroom. To think that he would go all the way to Osaka before the sun was even up, Kid was really determined to do this, Conan thought. 

He used his hand to protect his eyes from the sunlight as he peered up into the fourth story window with half-moon eyes.

“And… you’re still alive.” Kaito Kid murmured. 

Conan set his backpack down on the grass and brushed some wooden chips off of his pants.

Kaito Kid sighed. “Oh, well. I should probably let you go home. Actually I had a back-up plan this time. If the piano missed you, I would go ahead and shoot you with my rifle. I left it at home though.”

"That’s comforting to know,” Conan called back. “Well, Hattori is coming to visit this afternoon.”

There’s a slight pause—Kaito Kid’s head and hat disappeared into the window and Conan waited patiently until a boy (who looked a lot like himself, Conan noted) walked out of the building. He’s wearing a midnight blue gakuran, and Conan realized that Kaito Kid was either a high school student, or wanted to look like one. 

“Can’t walk around in my costume. But you sure this is a good idea?” Kaito asked as he stopped in front of the grade schooler.

“Probably not. But then again, neither is stealing, killing people, and destroying a perfectly good piano. Besides, Hattori said you’re not that _bad_ of a person." 

"A perfectly good piano? It was out of tune.” came Kaito’s reply to defend himself.

Conan did not want to disclose the fact that many people might have accused him of being tone deaf.

—

The next time Kaito Kid tried was a week later when Conan was visiting Osaka. Both he and Heiji were taking the elevator to get to the seventh floor of the Osakan Police Headquarters building when the elevator jerked to a stop.

The elevator shook and the shockwave threw them to the ground, leaving them bewildered, except then the hatch at the top of the elevator opened, and someone in a white attire and familiar white cap jumped down. 

Kaito Kid stood up and cracked his neck before turning around to face two detectives (looking relieved) sprawled on the floor of the elevator. He groaned. “Why do you guys just refuse to die, every single time. I cut off the cable wire, so the elevator fell and crashed at the bottom. I thought you were going down for sure.”

“We were on the first floor.”

Kaito Kid shrugged. “Okay. There’s always next time.”

“Guess so,” Heiji agreed. A couple of seconds passed before Conan deadpanned, “We’re stuck here, aren’t we?”

“Yeah.” Kaito Kid grinned. “The electricity is cut off, so you’ll have to wait until they realize the elevators aren’t working. See you next time, lads!”

“Oi, Kid.” Heiji called after him, just as his hands reached the top part of the elevator to leave. “Are you in a rush to go somewhere?”

—

Later that night in Heiji’s bedroom, while both of them were trying to sleep, they were rudely disturbed by a loud buzzing noise. They sat up to see Kaito Kid in the corner of the room, trying to get a weird-looking machine ( _presumably to assassinate us,_ Conan sighed) to work.

“Do you even know what time it is?” Heiji seethed.

“What I know is that now is the perfect time, but this damn thing…” mumbled Kid as he tried to get it to function properly, but it made several low groans and stopped working altogether.

Conan wondered whether it’s okay to laugh, and he snickered. “Hopeless, aren’t you?”

“Another day it is.” 

“I think we’re getting too casual about this.” Conan pointed out.

Heiji yawned and stretched, then switched the lights on. “All right who’s up for a sleepover?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> P.S. I love these boys to death and I just want them to have normal teenage boy conversations and do teenage boy shit


	7. Gambling — ShinRan, KaiAo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 19.08.19 — Gambling
> 
> Pairing: ShinRan, KaiAo  
> Warnings/Tags: Tragedy/Angst, offscreen Character Death

He can’t take his eyes off of her.

Her lips are red, the bright color of blood on newly fallen bed of snow. Her skin is sallow, made of a tawny beige only found in the sand in some far away island. Brown, unruly waves settle against her cheek, laying past her neck and dangling freely against her shoulders. If she was awake from her comatose dream, she would possess two beautiful, gemstone eyes, the shade of lapis lazuli trapped in a pool of black water. But right now she is dreaming her dream, this precious one, a death dream on a white bed—like a sacrifice to the demons underneath.

Kaito stares down at her, his hands settle against the cool steel of the table where her body lay. He grazes the tip of his finger against the skin around her shoulders—it feels so terribly cold, yet so soft against his touch. It sends a shiver down his spine, and he knows—much too well—just how _real_ she is at this moment.

She appears lifeless, like a beautiful doll, so lovely and cold.

He feels his stomach twist inside out; he grips onto the metallic table tightly as he attempts to hold back the torrent of emotion—he feels like throwing up. His insides churn and turn; his heart is visited by some icy poison, caught within his throat. Kaito wants to scream—but the sound is buried deep beneath layers and layers of memories. He’s trained himself to not let his poker face crumble.

His mind is blank—it is empty, but his body, of its own volition, begins to tremble.

Aoko, the woman who yesterday smiled brighter than any jewels he had ever seen. 

Aoko, the woman who yesterday cried as they watched a romance movie of her choice, with a bowl of popcorn on her lap.

Aoko, the woman who yesterday laughed her adorable laughter for him and his ears only, as she drew doodles on his face as his punishment for losing a game of cards (he had let her win, little to her knowledge, only to see that smile of hers).

The woman who just yesterday made love to him in their bed, her body writhing beneath his.

The woman, who just yesterday, he was finally able to kiss with all the love in the world.

The woman who, just yesterday, was alive.

Today, she is not.

Kaito has no one to blame but himself. All along, he had kept his perfect act as Kid. He did it so well because he knew how good he was. He always planned meticulously and come heist time, he never had any doubt that everything will run smoothly. If he were to go down, he had nothing to lose anyway. 

He did feel lost when the time came for him to retire. But along with it, he thought he had gained something of more importance in his life. He thought he had all the time in the world to make up for years of yearning to be together with Aoko—they both did.

The next moment, life decided to pull its last cruel joke on him. Kaito is reminded of something he has dismissed for so long: He has been gambling with his life, gambling with Fate. It’s time for everything to catch up to him. 

He thought he could have it all. Reality keeps him in check that he has lost at his own game.

—

It’s a tradition to wear black at funerals, for it is a color of respect to honor the dead. Black is such a hideous color. It’s dull and somber, it sucks in all the brightness around it as if it were void of life, like the eyes of a hungry beast. Around him, crowd gathers, forming a mass of ebony, like a swarm of bats flying from the very pit of a deep, dark cave. It reminds Shinichi of the shade of vultures feasting on the leftover carcass of some animal—such a terrible color. 

Ran never really liked that color; she found it much too depressing. 

“Everyone has a color of their own,” She said to him, “Yours is blue—the stretch of the sky as it spreads all above us and falls towards the horizon. Like the depths of the ocean, the shade of intellect and consciousness. It’s a color that suits you best.”

Except that she is not here to make any objections. 

He can hear the sniffling of the women, the wailing of the children, and the hushed tones of the men. None of them even knows who is in this white coffin—for all they know, it could be empty, full of air and lies like the rest of the world. He knows Heiji will voice the same question too, when he gets here. 

Shinichi doesn’t understand what exactly the point of all this is. Ran was an Angel in as many ways possible, she was the kind of person who will not fade into the depth of memory. And she was too young, much too early.

All these people in the crowd will cry and cry, and then leave to go home to their houses. Life will go on for them, inevitably. And so will it be for him. In truth, he thinks she had the loneliest and shortest life of all. 

They spent most of their lives with each other. He used to fear for her—feared that she would discover how horribly wretched and pathetic he was, but she loved him. He was constantly entranced by her, and fell into her as if she were an endless ocean and he wanted nothing more than to drown into the softness that was her.

He is begging for poison and ambrosia nectar of the Gods and Goddesses, whatever and whoever could save him.

Ran was his soul, his heart, his sin. She was made of polished glass and moonbeams, sprinkled with tons of love. She was of the purest heart and was just divine. She simply desired his presence and his touch. She simply wanted him to be open to her, so she could help him carry his burden and secrets.

And then she was finally his—completely and wholly his. Near the end, he found out that along with the kiss they share, his heart would be stolen all over again, leaving him weak by his feet. They were like the perfect pair of swans, swimming together in a golden lake where the surface is glimmering ethereally. 

Contrary to him, she was a woman who possessed a beauty so rare and so haunting that it was not meant to be in this irreverent world.

He has known since the beginning that only bad things will come to her if he sticks around. But that moment he was cured, the one thing that he hoped for was to go to her, no matter the odds. He gambled with the risks, and he thought he had made the right choice when their happiness outweighed everything else by a trillion. 

He thought he could finally have it all. He never thought it was going to last for only a fleeting second.

—

In the end,

Kaito loses yet another piece of his identity.

Shinichi is submerged; he is drowning, fast.

And Heiji, he never showed up. 


	8. Caught in the Act — HeiKazu, ShinRan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 20.08.19 — Caught in the Act
> 
> Characters: Heiji, Kazuha, Ran, Shinichi, Sonoko  
> Pairings: HeiKazu, ShinRan  
> Warnings/Tags: attempt at humor. Based on that Friends' S05 E14 where everyone finds out about Chandler and Monica XD

**[@detectivegeekshin's art](https://detectivegeekshin.tumblr.com/post/187138964085/2008-caught-in-the-act-he-then-left-and-screamed) is gold and it made this happen!**

* * *

Birds are chirping brightly when they stepped out of the station—dark dots framed by warm yellow sun in the blue Osaka sky. A perfect day to start their short vacation. The weather is beautiful, everything is going smoothly, and they’re going to have the city’s famous takoyaki for lunch today. 

Ran, Shinichi and Sonoko are in Osaka for a few days for school break, and they just got to Heiji’s house. The boy said that they have several guest rooms that can be used, so the three of them are staying in his house. Kazuha apologized over their last phone call for not being able to pick them up from the station because she had some errands to run, but she promised to meet them at Heiji’s.

Kazuha hasn’t answered any of their calls, and the last text from her was a while ago when she said she was on her way. Ran figures Kazuha has probably arrived as well but doesn’t know that they are already in one of the guest rooms, so she’s asked Shinichi to look for Kazuha. They need to choose their outfits before going out, that way all three of them can match. 

Ran and Sonoko were initially marveling over the fact that the Hattori household has such a traditional setting and is very spacious. The view from their guest room looked over the house’s private garden, and across from it is Heiji’s room. In fact, their window looked almost directly into Heiji’s.

No eyebrows have initially been raised when Kazuha came into view. It isn’t precisely unusual for the girl to drop into Heiji’s house unannounced and simply walk into each other’s rooms, regardless of whether anyone is in or not. What is unusual however, is the way that Heiji has his childhood friend backed firmly against the glass, hands trailing suggestively low, and the way Kazuha’s head is tilted backwards to allow him better access to her throat for a whole new reason.

Ran’s first reaction is an immense sense of satisfaction and excitement, along with a very sudden desire to jump up and down and squeal like a hyperactive young girl who just got ice cream. Anyone passing by in front of their room would’ve heard incoherent combination of screams of “AH!!” “KAZUHA-CHAN AND HATTORI-KUN!” “AAH!” “OH MY GOD!” “KAZUHA-CHAN AND HATTORI-KUN!!!” “AAAAAHH!!” and much more “OH MY GOD”s. 

However, suddenly hands are wandering under clothes, shirts are riding up and the two of them turn abruptly from the window with Sonoko shouting repeatedly, ‘OH, _MY EYES!! MY EYES!!!_ ’

Ran takes a risk for the both of them and turns back to pull the curtains closed. She misses Shinichi opening the door to Heiji’s room by a mere minute. But it takes several minutes for both girls to calm down and come to terms with what they’ve just witnessed.

“Kazuha-chan!” Ran squeals, still unable to bring her pitch down because of all the giddiness, “and Hattori-kun!”

“Oh. My. GOD!” shrieks Sonoko while clapping her hands together in an uncontrollable excitement.

“They’re already making finally such a huge progress! But why hasn’t Kazuha-chan said anything to us?” Ran asks. “Is she waiting until she could tell us the face-to-face?”

“You know, we’ve been waiting for this for so long. I almost couldn’t believe it’s finally happening!” Sonoko leans back on her hands, shaking her head and staring at the ceiling, “I just didn’t know why we had to witness it.”

Ran giggles, her eyes darting back and forth between Sonoko and the curtains as if she’s trying to keep herself from looking.

“We should tell everyone,” Sonoko squeals and jumps up in determination, “that these two are finally together! I mean, everyone’s had it coming. I bet their parents are gonna be so happy about this. Hattori-kun’s mom is definitely gonna start looking for a ring to be given to him to propose to Kazuha!”

“Sonoko, not everyone is like you!” Ran laughs wholeheartedly. This short vacation is looking great. She’s in Osaka and not Tokyo, for a change. Moreover, she’s with her best friends, two of whom are finally together. “Also, I really need to tell Shinichi about this, he’s gonna be super excited. I’m gonna go look for him to tell him to _not_ go into Hattori-kun’s room.”

Ran is out of the door with a whoosh, leaving Sonoko alone in the room. She averts her gaze to the closed curtains, suddenly having the desire to talk to her boyfriend. “If only Makoto-san wasn’t so shy…” she mutters, reaching to her bag to get her phone. She needs to voice her concern to him.

Whatever. If her precious Makoto-san isn’t brave enough to initiate the next step in their relationship, she is going to take matters into her own hands. They’d been dating longer than even Ran and Shinichi, it only makes sense if they have done more things together… which they have not. Her own relationship is progressing even slower than Heiji and Kazuha, which she’s pretty sure just happened, because it’s only two weeks ago when those two came to Tokyo, where Heiji failed to confess to her again. 

Her silent brooding is interrupted by someone opening the door and slamming it shut abruptly. Shinichi comes into view, huffing and puffing, looking very flustered.

“Hey, where’s Ran?” Shinichi asks distractedly, walking over to the center of the room where Sonoko is sitting.

“She’s out looking for you!” Sonoko replies as casually as she can, choosing to omit the information about what they’ve just witnessed. She’s dying to tell Shinichi—anyone, everyone!—about it. Yeah, the whole entire world should fucking know. “There’s something important you should know.”

Shinichi has stopped listening after Sonoko says that Ran’s not in the room. In that case, he should probably call her to break his news. He HAS to tell her right now. But when he feels his pockets for his phone, he can’t locate it anywhere on him. Shit, he probably dropped it when he’s tumbling through the hallways after walking in on whatever Heiji and Kazuha were doing. _Oh man_ , he gave himself a mental slap, because, _ahem, this news is far more important than anything else!_

“I’ll see if she’s out in the garden.” he says, making a move to draw the curtains back, and Sonoko practically leaps forwards yelling ‘NO!’ so loudly he takes a step backwards with his hands in the air in surprise.

“Um,” Sonoko hesitates, trying to come up with a good excuse. It was cute of those two, and the act itself would have been cute, yes, but seeing it happen real life is way different from imagining it. She’s sure Shinichi doesn’t want to see what she’d seen as well. “Uh.. We’ve had too much sun today. Hattori-kun’s mom told us the sun in Osaka is harsher, so we have to be careful.”

Shinichi doesn’t look particularly happy with the explanation either. She is obviously hiding something, he knows. 

Honestly he doesn’t really mind because seriously, he’s on cloud nine right now. He’s just happy that Heiji and Kazuha together because it’s _about_ _goddamn time_. He glances back at the curtains.

 _Wait a second…_ He takes a moment to consider the layout of Heiji’s house, which he has frequented a couple of times before. He’s always slept in Heiji’s room whenever he comes to stay, and he’s never been in this guest room before. But if his visualization is right, then this guest room is located right across from Heiji’s, despite the open garden situated in the middle of the two.

Could it be that both Sonoko and Ran found out about them too? Is that why Ran is looking for him?

He can’t deny that he and Ran are so incredibly invested in those two idiots of their best friends. They make it a point to bend over backwards just to get those two to admit their feelings for each other already, for everyone’s sanity.

Whenever Kazuha calls to update Ran about anything that has to do with her love life, Ran always tells him everything. Whether it be Heiji’s erratic behavior (like how he has been staring at her more and more lately, she’s afraid there’s something growing on her face) or the sudden but sort-of-gradual change in his way of speaking (his teasing has been lacking any actual venom lately) or any trips they’re going to go on (Kazuha says she doesn’t even demand to tag along when he goes to cases anymore because he’s always inviting her to go to different places almost every weekend, as she points out to Ran one time. She’s wondering if she’s done something to piss him off and this is his new method of revenge, by completely tiring her out every weekend).

Seriously, he and Ran both agree that Kazuha is just as dense as Heiji, if not more. There’s nothing the two of them want more than to see both their best friends finally getting their shit together. 

Sonoko eyes him suspiciously and asks, “Do you know something we should know?” She moves forwards in that almost cat-like way she does when she wants to intimidate; Shinichi backs away from her.

“You do, don’t you?” she says threateningly, and though he stays silent, suddenly very clear that he does, in fact, know something. The question is whether that something is the same something that she and Ran know. “Shinichi!” says Sonoko warningly, “What do you know?”

Shinichi shakes his head. It’s not that he wants to keep the news from Sonoko, it’s just… he wants to tell Ran first. As Heiji and Kazuha’s respective cupids, both he and Ran have every right to be the first people to know. 

“What do you know?” he counters, looking accusingly at her.

“Oh we can’t tell you,” says Sonoko sweetly, “But if you already knew…”

“We?” Shinichi echoes. His suspicion is most likely correct, that both Ran and Sonoko knows. He is disappointed, to say the least. He’s very excited to tell Ran about what just happened, what he just saw: that his idiot of a best friend is finally making progress and they are finally kissing.

Well, he didn’t exactly see Kazuha in the room. But the sight of Heiji, with his disheveled hair and equally disheveled unbuttoned shirt, sporting a swollen and redder lips than usual (He’s a detective, he’s just naturally observant okay, not that he pays extra attention to his best friend’s kiss swollen lips or anything), not to mention the thick sexual tension that hit his face when he opened the door… He might as well have been sitting in the room and watching them.

“You tell me first,” he says carefully. He has to be cautious, just in case he’s reading Sonoko wrong and what she and Ran want to tell him is of a totally different matter.

“Shinichi!” exclaims Ran as she enters the room, running toward him. “There’s—”

Sonoko ignores her and throws her hands up in the air, exasperated. “I can’t say, because I don’t know that what you know is what we know!” 

The three of them exchange glances, and silence reigns for several seconds, when Sonoko makes a sudden movement and draws her phone from her bag. “Well,” she says, “I think I’ll just call Kazuha-chan and see if—”

“You _KNOW_!” Shinichi half-shouts, cutting her off.

Sonoko points at him, her eyes as wide as sauce plates. “And _YOU_ know!”

“How did you even find out? Did you see them?” questions Shinichi accusingly.

“Shinichi! Why didn’t you tell me? How long have you known?” Ran asks. Shinichi quickly swivels around to face her.

“Only a few minutes ago!” He bristles when she looks at him skeptically, “You told me to get Kazuha, so I went to look for her in Hattori’s room and I caught them. I came here to tell you _THAT_!”

“I was looking for you to tell the same thing!!” Ran, in return, is wearing such a huge grin on her face. Her jaw might ache later, but she’s positively over the moon for her friends right now. “Oh my God, Shinichi!”

 _Hattori finally fucking did it, he finally got his girl!_ Shinichi so badly wants to scream at Ran, but decides against it because Sonoko is still in the room. Even though they all grew up together Shinichi cannot lose his cool in front of anyone but Ran.. and Heiji, but the dude is his subject of interest right now and is the reason why Shinichi is having a hard time wiping the smirk off his face.

“I’m so glad though! Kazuha-chan and Hattori-kun must be really happy!”

Shinichi gives a booming hearty laugh. If they’re happy, he’s more than that—he’s beyond elated. He’s quite literally beaming with exulting pride. The grin he’s wearing now is legitimately plastered on his face, probably for the next few days. “God knows how long Hattori has been wanting to do that.”

“You know, they’re moving awfully fast, for someone who just got together. I thought people only stick with innocent kisses during the first few months of dating.” comments Ran, her index finger tapping repeatedly on her chin. She’s recalling Shinichi and her first few months together, what they had and had not done. The first time Shinichi even did a proper kiss, longer and deeper than a peck, was nearly a year into their relationship. Thinking that brings a slight blush to her face. 

“Yeah well, not everyone is as shy and as slow as you two,” Sonoko is quick to point out. “But I’m also quite surprised. I didn’t know Hattori-kun and Kazuha-chan are that bold. They’re in his house, for Heaven’s Sake!”

“His mother is probably as happy as all of us are to find out that they’re finally together. I think she even has their wedding planned since they were babies. But what if his father sees them?” asks Ran, voicing her newly found concern. 

They’re all sat together on the floor, facing the closed curtains in a morbidly curious sort of way. 

“Wait, by doing stuff you mean…” Shinichi trails off when he sees Sonoko and Ran both nod, the latter looking quite red in the face. Damn. He’s lost count of how many times he’s been helping and trying to get them to be together already. Heiji’s progress in asking Kazuha out was extremely slow, but he’s making up for his lost time, lightning fast.

“So they probably know that you know,” says Sonoko, and Shinichi nods again, “But obviously, _they don’t know that we know_.”

“Let’s just tell them that we already know,” Ran suggests after several seconds of silence, “I’m just really happy that they’re finally, finally, _finally_ together.”

“Or…” says Sonoko slowly, and they turn to look at her. She grins and fans her face—whatever she’s thinking can’t be good.

“What are you suggesting?” asks Shinichi, looking at her warily.

“I’m just thinking that maybe we can mess with them for a little bit. They think they’re so sleek, keeping this from us.” Sonoko replies, and she looks positively gleeful.

“We have the upper hand for now, because _they don’t know that we know_."


	9. Twisted Fairytale II — Kaizuha friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaito discovers more things about the princess he rescued than he ever think he would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 21.08.19 — Time Travel
> 
> Pairing: KaiZuha friendship!  
> Warnings/Tags: Fairytale AU (Rapunzel), just a bunch of fairytale-ish elements in this.
> 
> A continuation to the KaiZuha fairytale fic because these two are precious.

Kaito can feel the sweat beading on his own forehead and trailing down his temples and neck, and prays that the white collar of his shirt won’t be stained. Even so, he will persevere; he refuses to give up just because he’s tired—he’s supposed to either bring the princess back or die, not stop just because he’s tired. So he continues his walk down the dark and jagged pathway. He’d heard from some villagers about this magical cave that is supposed to take them immediately to the Enchanted Lake. That’s the equivalent of a day worth of journey up and down several valleys and through one very horrifying Spooky Forest, of which is reported to be where beastly wolves reside. He had already went through the terrible experience of walking in the Spooky Forest on his way to rescue his princess, and now on his way back, he would do anything to avoid that forest at all costs. The princess, however, refuses to go through the cave and insists on taking the route based on the map.

“We don’t know what kind of magic is in the cave!” Kazuha argues, but Kaito is determined to never take a step into the cursed forest ever again. 

“Well,” Kaito says after a moment of consideration, “We can just meet at the Enchanted Lake.” 

Kazuha groans, “Aw, come on. I’m sure the Spooky Forest ain’t all that spooky!” 

“I’m supposed to be protecting you here, okay? And I can’t protect you if we go in separate ways!” Kaito puts a hand on Kazuha’s shoulder, trying to reason with her. Really, this headstrong princess has been doing nothing but test his patience all journey long.

“I don’t need you and your protection anyway. I can take care of myself.” Kazuha huffs and turns around to start making her way down the other path, threatening to leave Kaito at the mouth what seemed like a dimly lit cave. “Just don’t come crying to me if you had turned into a.. a frog or something inside the _magical_ cave. See ya later at the Enchanted Lake.” are her last words to him.

Okay, 1) No one mentioned how the pathway inside the cave seems to be narrowing down with each step he takes. It’s dark and tiny and he feels like he’s being crunched inside. 2) Everyone says that it’s cold inside a cave. But why the Hell is it so warm in here? Not only is it small, narrow and dark in here, it’s also frustratingly hot and humid. He’s suffocating.

As he recalls what he’s been through the past few weeks, his mood just became more sour. He’s been plagued with all the bad luck one could have in a lifetime. It probably would’ve been easier if only he wasn’t alone in this dark, dingy cave. _It’s all that stubborn princess’ fault_ , he complains, _why couldn’t she just be more agreeable? Why did he have to be stuck with her anyway?_ She’s probably the reason for all his recent misfortune.

His steps are getting slower and weaker, the humidity of the cave intensifying his fatigue. Just before he reaches his breaking point, when dark spots are clouding his vision, a sudden gust of wind came from the back, effectively throwing him forward. A shocked scream rips out of his parched throat. The last thing he saw is nothing but darkness.

Kaito’s eyelids flutter open and he sees a huge, golden chandelier overhead as he blinks his haziness away. Finally some light, he thinks, before his eyes widen and he scrambles to his feet immediately. How is that even possible? Is this part of the cave’s magical power? He whips his head around only to realize that his surroundings are different. He’s no longer in that cave with total absence of sunlight. Instead, the room is illuminated by sunshine streaming in from the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. It looks almost ethereal. 

He looks down at his body and notices that he’s been stripped of his all-white knight suit; he’s wearing a white long-sleeved shirt with a blue sleeveless tunic over it, grayish blue pants and brown boots with their cuffs folded. _Whoever gave me this change of outfit has taste,_ he whistled _._ But where is this?

He stands up, almost stumbling from the vertigo that hits him, before he discovers he’s not alone in the room. It’s someone’s bedroom, he realizes, or a nursery. Because instead of any beds in sight, there is only one single golden crib. His curiosity got the better of him and he wobbles his way down the room. Once he gets there, he finds for himself the tiniest baby he’s ever seen, comfortably bundled up underneath a tiny lavender blanket. However, he notices another strange fact: he doesn’t even reach the top frame of the crib. 

“So I’m the size of a toddler now?” he laughs humorlessly. He doesn’t want to admit it, but he’s getting pretty freaked out by now. Based on his height, he supposes he’s not even five yet. Well, at least he’s not a frog, so Kazuha is wrong.

A high-pitched wail pulls him away from his thoughts. Kaito peers in between the rails to see that the baby now has its tiny mouth wide open and emitting powerful cries, eyes and nose scrunched up. He extends his arm through the railing in an attempt to maybe touch and soothe the baby back to sleep. But.. his arm is now too short. 

He looks all around him in panic, looking for anything that can help calm the baby down. He fears for his sanity. All the crying and wailing is going to drive him deaf. He freezes in his tracks when the giant double door is pushed open from the outside. And before he knows it, he is swept off the floor and is now dangling in the air. He spins his head around to see who is holding him so high and he is prepared to kick, wriggle, anything to get back down to the ground—what he’s not prepared for is to stare right into his father’s face. Which he does, in shock.

“Dad?!” he breathes.

“I see you’ve found your sister.” says his father with a smile. 

_Wait, a sister?_

He whips his head around with bulging eyes to look at the baby, who is now cradled on a woman’s arms. 

By now, the baby has stopped crying. Kaito quickly uses this precious moment to clear his head and sort out everything that’s happening because his mind is in an absolute state of frenzy. _Father is here_ , he lists first, _and I’ve been transformed into a child…_ “I’ve traveled back in time!!” he exclaims in horror. Either that, or the magical cave sent him to a ridiculous alternate universe, he concludes.

The woman who is gently rocking the baby back and forth looks at him strangely, “What are you talking about, son?”

Son?? She—wa, wait—what? 

He’s lived with his father his whole life and never once has he seen his mother. Not in any pictures or painting, not even through any stories. He used to find it strange that his father claimed he didn’t have any pictures of his mom, but he just ever questioned it. He thought he might just be adopted. But if this woman here is actually his mother, then..?

That is a lot of information to get in thirty seconds.

He doesn’t even know if he remembers to blink or breathe. He has also forgotten that his father is still holding him. Soon, he is gently brought down to the floor as the woman who might be his mom crouches beside him, bringing down the baby in her arms. 

“Kaito, say hi to Rapunzel.” _Rapunzel?_

“Rapunzel?!” He yelps, but it comes out more like a shriek instead.

“Yes, that’s the name of your baby sister.” says his mother, and she’s beaming with pride as she directs her focus back to the baby.

And at that exact moment, the baby’s eyelids flew open, revealing two bright green orbs that bore into his. Maybe there’s more than one Rapunzel out there, maybe this is a different Rapunzel and Kazuha is another Rapunzel. But he knows those lively eyes quite well by now, and they look exactly like Kazuha’s. 

This is Kazuha? The bloody-minded, iron-willed princess whom he falsely rescued from her tower a few days ago? Very well, he can see the similarity. The way baby Rapunzel was crying earlier shows just how difficult she’s going to grow up to be. But wait wait wait—so Kazuha is his sister?

Kaito feels like screaming at all the newfound information he just received. He is just about to, when he sees from the corner of his eyes that baby Kazuha is raising her chubby hand at him. Instinctively, he shows baby Kazuha his pointy finger, which the latter grasped enthusiastically. Babies are freakishly tiny, he thinks. But from the way baby Kazuha’s enormous, doll-like eyes light up as she plays with his finger and the occasional high-pitched laughter she produces, he decides, that babies are extremely adorable. Or maybe just her. Well that is, until baby Kazuha reaches up to rub her tiny hand all over Kaito’s face.

“Kaito,” his mother says, as his father’s hands comes to rest on both his shoulders, “You’re a big boy now. And as Rapunzel’s big brother, you have to protect her, can you do that for me?” 

Before he gets the chance to say anything, there are sharp footsteps coming from the hallway, rapidly approaching the door. His father quickly pulls him up to his arms, holding him over his shoulder. Meanwhile, his mother swings baby Kazuha away from him to set her down in the crib, and turns to face Kaito and his father. “That must be the King. You have to leave now!”

After pressing a kiss to his forehead, his mother rushes to one of the windows and pushes it open. “Go,” she orders, “I’ll see you soon.” His father nods, gives her one last longing look and jumps off. 

The last thing he remembers is the clear blue sky outside.

—

Kazuha stops just outside of the Spooky Forest, ignoring the tremor in her feet. She tries to ignore her increasingly fast heartbeat and disappointment in her chest when she realizes that there’s no way around the forest.

Perhaps she should’ve listened to Kaito and went into the cave with him instead. 

“No. I can survive just fine without him,” she mutters to herself as she marches into the forest. Most of the trees in there are quite old, some barely having any leaves on their branches. They look like bony hands, she thinks. And their shadows are worse, they look like they could extend to grab her from every direction.

She clicks her tongue and listens carefully for any indication that there might be another person in there. “So much for being courageous,” mumbles Kazuha to herself as she sprints further into the forest, eager to find the exit as soon as she can. She doesn’t need anyone. She can survive just fine. And she definitely don’t need anyone to protect her.

It turns out, she does need Kaito, Kazuha realizes with a rumbling stomach as she slowly scales the ground for any food to be eaten. Growing up, she had food brought over by Mother all the time. Sometimes she brought ingredients to be cooked. But she was never taught to look for food by herself. That, and due to her lack of experience being outside the tower, Kazuha doesn’t know which things are safely edible and which are not. All these time, Kaito has been the one in charge of getting them food. When they aren’t near villages or towns, he hunts for food in the wilderness. He knows which fruits and berries are poisonous and which are safe. Kazuha, unfortunately, does not.

It’s not as sunny as when she enters the forest, now that the sun is already starting to go down beyond the mountain. The shadows all around the forest have been amplified and Kazuha is feeling really uneasy by now. Another growl from her stomach decides for her; she hasn’t eaten since the pie they had in the village yesterday, and it’s now been a full day. 

Suppressing her hunger, she shuffles along the trail as fast as her feet can take her. _Maybe I can go to a nearby village where I can ask for dinner once I get out of this forest,_ she determines. While the forest is scary enough in the daytime, now once the sun is beginning to set, there are loud growls seemingly from all directions around her. Kazuha is undoubtedly spooked.

In the midst of ignoring the growls, and the scary swaying of the tree branches, and the long wolf-like howls that would’ve otherwise sent chills down her spine, she sees a clearing in front of her. That must be the exit, where the Enchanted Lake is! Kaito must’ve been waiting for a long time, she realizes guiltily.

She screeches to a halt right by the lake and collapses down to her feet, trying to regain a steady breathing. After composing herself, she scans around her surroundings and sees no one else in sight. Strange, she thinks, _if Kaito took the shortcut through that cave, he should’ve already been here for many hours. Did he leave?_

Kazuha plops back down to the soft grass by the bank in devastation as her fatigue finally catches up to her. It is getting really dark now, and she’s not sure if she can continue to walk any further without getting lost. She tries to will herself to crawl to a nearby tree as a shelter just in case it’s going to rain later in the night, but to no success. Instead, she feels her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, and her mind goes blank.

—

Kaito’s eyes soften when he spots the princess nestled up on the grass. The sight reminds him of baby Kazuha in the crib, sleeping soundly like he’d witnessed earlier. The whole ordeal might or might not have been real. He could’ve been really sent back in time, or it could’ve just been an illusion that the cave has him trapped in. After all, the cave isn’t called the magical cave for nothing. Maybe he’ll be able to think about it with a clearer head tomorrow. Or better yet, not think about it at all and simply forget everything.

With a sigh, he crouches down next to her and lies on his back, eyes up facing the dark sky. They’ve had a long and exhausting day, both of them. Within minutes, he too, falls asleep under the tender light of the moon, the soft night breeze ruffling their hair like a lullaby.


	10. ATLA x DCMK (III) — MakoSono

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Makoto sneaks into the palace of the Northern Water Tribe to find out who his betrothed is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 22.08.19 — First Time
> 
> Pairing: MakoSono  
> Warnings/Tags: ATLA AU
> 
> A continuation of the ATLA AU! This time featuring Sonoko and Makoto's first meeting.

> The sweltering sun stood high in the sky when Makoto walked along the shore of the Northern Water Tribe, such was the scene of his current mission. Everything was white and blue as far as he could see, and only some parts where the sunlight touched was shining a pale yellow. The Palace stood way above the coast, glistening like an enormous chunk of diamond hidden in the midst of all the ice in the region. The city itself was protected by huge ice cliffs which formed all around it as its walls. It had worked, Makoto knew; the Northern Water Tribe had remained standing without ever suffering any seizes from the other nations. 

Its position surrounded by all those icebergs had more than its fair share of advantages. Under the cover of darkness the night before, Makoto had arrived in a bay a little sideways from ice gate which functioned as the only entrance into the city. He’d hidden his dinghy, folding the sail carefully and covering the whole boat with anything he could find to keep it out of plain sight. He had left his Earth Kingdom tunic behind, too.

Now he’s sauntering around the village in a grayish blue Water Tribe robe, not attempting to find his target just yet, but opting to take in the layout of the town and the people that live in it. The water flowed smoothly in the canals, slithering here and there, connecting the whole city like a giant blue snake. Makoto supposed he shouldn’t be surprised to see the ambienceband tranquility of the whole city, considering its peaceful history and close proximity to the hidden gateway to the Spirit world. It’s almost like the war never reached this place at all, with how calm it seemed. Makoto knew he would be willing to stay here if he had the option to. Then again, war made people do strange things. He averted his eyes and kept walking up the main road in the middle of the city.

As he climbed his way up the tier to the courtyard, the entrance to the Northern Royal Palace came into view. It’s a stately place on the highest tier of the city, built in a true Water Tribe structure with ice paneling and statues, and a large, open staircase in the middle of it. He walked past some younger students, all of whom looked no older than twelve, practicing waterbending in the courtyard. He made his way around the palace. He knew precisely where to go and let his feet take him away. Although, if he must say, he felt really strange in these boots he’s wearing. The ice beneath his feet felt fragile and a little too smooth for his liking.

He reached another yard, this one not as open nor as wide as the main one in front of the palace. Another thing that was also missing here—the crowd. There was not a single person there. This one had multiple small fountains with pillars bordering the area, and he knew this was probably a private yard only accessible to the Elders, Council members or the royal family of the chiefdom. Makoto kept walking, until he can see around the to the very back part of the—

On one of the fountains near the east corner of the yard, sat a girl in an elaborate lavender kimono-like tunic over a light purple dress, with short and light brown hair. Instinctively, Makoto knew who she’s looking at. It’s Suzuki Sonoko, daughter of Chief Suzuki Shiro, ruler of the Northern Water Tribe. She was talking and laughing with another girl who looked the same age, but this one had a long hair that reached her waist. In order not to draw any attention to himself, Makoto kept walking until he found himself a bigger fountain to hide behind. He was careful to keep in the shadows that allow him to observe the Chief’s younger daughter without giving himself away.

Nothing much happened. The so-called princess kept talking, cracking big laughters as she conversed with the other girl, her short hair tickling her cheeks. Makoto watched with interest as the two of them chatted animatedly as if nothing that’s wrong in the world could ever reach them. The air is rife with rumors of the Air Temples dissipation, Makoto knew it’s all part of an elaborate conspiracy. The Fire Nation had been at the height of its power and the world’s peace was starting to be shaken.

Sonoko was still sitting in the same spot, still talking with her friend who occasionally guided some water to and away from the fountain, probably trying some new waterbending tricks. The sun was starting to set now, creeping lower and lower towards the horizon with every passing minute. It’s almost time. Soon enough, the long-haired girl stood up and waved her goodbye, running to the direction of the main courtyard. The chief’s daughter, now all by herself, slowly walked back into the Palace.

Now’s the time. He checked his surroundings one last time, heaved a deep breath and made his way forward. There were guards stationed outside the front entrance and no doubt within the palace as well. Makoto disregarded them; chances were they’d grown slow in the illusion of peace that this entire city seemed to have fallen under.

Eventually, Makoto found himself perched on a balcony that gave him a prime view of the chief’s daughter’s bedroom, where she was brushing her hair in front of a mirror. After deeming her hair acceptable, she made way to the balcony. There was no one around and no one with her. Twilight had descended by now and the moonlight softly framed her figure. After a long moment of consideration, Makoto decided to abandon what he had come here to do. With the rising moon that gives the whole city its power, Makoto turned around and got ready to jump down.

“Show yourself,” he froze in action when he heard her say. 

Was he not as silent as he thought? 

Makoto swung himself over the railing of the balcony in one swift jump, landing in front of Sonoko. To her credit, she didn’t look too shocked, though she immediately sprang backwards many steps, hands held in front of her body defensively. “Who are you?” Her voice is squeaky and raspy, but she sounded more confused than scared.

“You are Sonoko,” Makoto said as she approached Sonoko slowly. “Second daughter of Chief Suzuki Shiro.”

“Yes,” Sonoko said, stepping backwards with each step Makoto took. “But wait, please. I’m sure we can talk this out.” At Makoto’s confused look, she continued. “You don’t have to kill me. You don’t have to kidnap me. You can have whatever you’re after. Money, food, coins, all you have to do is tell me and I will ask my father for it, please.”

“Those mean nothing to me,” Makoto murmured, never once taking her eyes off the girl. “I’m here for you. And there’s nothing you can say that will make me change my mind. Especially if it concerns a mission I have to accomplish in the future.” Sonoko’s gaze slid from him to his hands. They were big, rough and calloused. They look nothing like the hands of someone who grew up in a Water Tribe environment, let alone be a waterbender.

“Ah,” she said. “So that’s what this is.” He must be sent from another nation to kidnap her and ask her father to give up their land in exchange for her life. Or, to kill her to reduce the chances of their hereditary chiefdom continuation down the generation.

“Then, let me ask you something,” Sonoko continued. “Tell me, what have I done to you, or your people? Did I steal something from you? Did I hurt you in some way? Why do you have to kill me?” She looked at him intently.

“I never wanted intended to,” Makoto responded, his voice silent instead of strong now, quelled by the resilience he saw in the blue eyes of the girl. “And I’m not here to kill you, or whatever you’re thinking.”

Sonoko knew she shouldn’t trust anything coming from a stranger, especially one who had been spying on her in her room, but she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding in. “Okay. Then why are you here? If you think you can get any information out of me, then I swear on the Spirits of the Ocean and Moon, that I know absolutely nothing.”

Sonoko looked hopeful and beautiful at once, and she’s not at all like what Makoto had pictured, apparently. He had heard that the younger of the Chief’s daughters was the one most spoiled, a good-for-nothing lady who couldn’t even be a trophy daughter simply for the fact that she wasn’t born with the ability to waterbend. It’s also been said that she had a shallow and brash attitude. But this girl in front of her seemed nothing like that: to him she appeared trusting, and optimistic.

“I am Makoto from the Kyogoku family in Ba Sing Se, Capital of Earth Kingdom.” Makoto suddenly continued, and he thought about what he had to say next, after telling her who he really was. “Please forgive my intrusion. And I apologize for the disturbance and unease that I have caused you, My Lady.”

He watched as her soft blue eyes widened in realization as she too, was probably recounting the last time she’d heard his name. “You’re… Are you the man I’m supposed to marry?”

“It appears so.” Makoto looked away shyly, and his right hand rubbed at his nape in an act of nervousness. Coming from a pretty influential family in Earth Kingdom’s capital city and equipped with years of battle experiences at a young age, he was deemed an excellent choice to be wed into a family member of the Water Tribe chiefdom. He was initially against the idea, but politics are politics, and there wasn’t much he could do except hope that the other side would reject the idea. Because normally, offsprings of a chief had to marry within the tribe to ensure the continuation of the chiefdom’s power. So, he’s surprised when the Water Tribe Chief agreed on it too himself. Makoto thought that the Chief probably had his city’s interest at heart. The marriage would ensure a small, albeit steady alliance between the two cities. And at the brim of a war like this, who wouldn’t want that?

After a brief silence, Makoto dared to sneak a glance at the girl. Soft blue eyes found his again, as she said, “I thought we weren’t supposed to meet until next month, on the agreed date of our engagement.”

“Yes,” he spoke, voice barely above a whisper, “that’s right.” If only he was patient enough, he wouldn’t have to waste his time and energy to come all the way from Ba Sing Se. “I just had to see what kind of person I am going to be married to.”

To be honest, Sonoko wasn’t looking forward to the day of her marriage either. It’s approaching unbelievably fast, and with every day, she’s getting more and more worried about having to marry someone she’s never even met. She sighed deeply and had accepted her fate.

This rugged man, however, was handsome and mysterious; she’s intrigued.

So was he. The young Lady stood in front of him with pride, although her eyes were full of uncertainty. She was probably just as nervous as he was. They barely knew each other and in a month, they’d have to be living together already. The thought of it sent him to a frenzy and he turned around, ready to leave the Palace, once and for all. “I suppose I have to leave now.” He murmured incoherently.

A cool hand touched his shoulder and Makoto was returned to his current situation, the tension in his shoulders dissipating at the contact. He looked down into Sonoko’s kind eyes, and for some reason it did make him feel better. Makoto decided not to think about it too deeply. Not yet.

“Actually,” Sonoko started, softly, “I’d rather get to know you more first, rather than at our engagement reception. I’m sure you think so too, or else you wouldn’t have come all the way here.”

He silently shook his head and Sonoko smiled in delight, tentatively. The hand on his shoulder squeezed in a gesture of comfort. “Then stay! I’m pretty sure we’re not so different, you and I!” She helped Makoto down even though she knew he was capable of doing so himself. 

Her hand lingered around his arm as she pulled him through the corridors of the Palace, expertly weaving around the pillars whenever any guards came into view. Before he knew it, they were at the open space at the very top, overlooking the entire Northern Water Tribe City and the broad Northern Seas. They stared at the night sky, where the stars were splattered liek random dots on a dark blue canvas, surrounding the moon that looked bigger than he’d ever seen before.

“So, _future husband_ ,” Sonoko said teasingly, deciding to start off easy. “Do you have any hobbies?” 

Makoto’s eyes left the familiar constellations and took in the childish expression on Sonoko’s face. For the first time that day, he smiled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Clarification:  
> Sonoko is the princess of the Northern Water Tribe, while Makoto is a true full-blooded Earthbender. I mean, is there any other role more suitable for him? :3


	11. Roommates — HeiShinKaiSagu brotp

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 25.08.19 — Roommates
> 
> Characters: Heiji, Kaito, Shinichi, Saguru  
> Pairings: None. Just BROTP :)  
> Warnings/Tags: mentions of alcohol
> 
> Halfway through writing this… I realized I had no plot. This is simply a plunnie inspired by (or at least, including some elements from Friends).

In the years Kaito has been legally allowed to drink, he’s made some pretty important discoveries about himself.

The first is that he really, really appreciates their guys’ night in. They do shots when they first start hanging out, sit in the corner of Saguru’s apartment (because he doesn’t have any roommates nor a girlfriend who would kick him in the ass for drenching the apartment with the smell of alcohol). He likes having his back against the cold concrete wall, the liquid cooling his throat as he feels the familiar buzz swelling in his stomach. But no matter how pleasant, it’s not really worth the shivering, anxious mess it makes him the next morning, when he’s trying to fight off the raging nausea.

He steers clear of tequila for a while after that.

So it probably should have been easier to foresee, the other discovery. Kaito and Heiji both bond really well. And they both can be really persuasive especially on the nights when Shinichi and Saguru want to be completely sober. Their excuse has always been the same—that they have jobs they want to keep. Come on, all of them have to go to work too in the morning, goddammit. Those two just don’t want to admit that they’re fucking lightweights. 

Kaito just doesn’t want to be alone in his misery. Heiji knows this, knows that Kaito is a social drinker, likes it only when he’s got someone else worse off than he is. The Osakan himself is never one to back down from any challenges. And Kaito is an impressionable drunk, will do just about anything so long as someone thinks to ask. They’re an awesome pair.

The last discovery he makes isn’t so much a discovery as it is a revelation and an inquiry. And it isn’t so much made as it is stumbled upon in the dark with bare feet and a whole lot of disorientation. It happens one of the nights when all four of them were hanging out and drinking in the huge apartment that Kaito, Shinichi and Heiji share.

And Kaito finds out that he’s really bad at keeping things to himself like this, when it’s just the four of them, a little buzzed and a lot open. He feels like he could tell them anything, because they know him now, they’ve stuck together and survived four years of college. That’s saying a lot.

So he feels safe, and he doesn’t even turn to one of them when he says, “I haven’t said “I love you” to Aoko. Do you think I should say it now?”

He doesn’t even notice the room had been so loud until it goes silent. It feels like a blanket, thick and heavy and stifling, and he turns his head to find Heiji staring down at him incredulously from the couch. He’s sitting with one leg thrown over the side. It’s close enough that Kaito could reach out and grab his ankle down, if he wanted, if he didn’t feel like that might not be such a good idea right now. “She’s not here though,” The dark-skinned guy points out.

Kaito regards his roommate in annoyance, “Thanks for stating the obvious.”

Even Shinichi pipes up, “You mean, this whole time you two have been dating, you’ve never once said it to her?“

He winces. “Is it that bad?” he asks, because why the hell not? They’ve all shared secrets bigger than this, right? This isn’t even that big a deal, in the grand scheme of things, whatever that might be. “Although I probably shouldn’t ask you. I know you and Ran say it all the time.” 

See, it’s unfair because their situations are completely different. Shinichi and Ran has been together since forever. The pair are a match made in heaven. Shinichi has a steady job as a professor in Tokyo University (The hottie of the Criminology Department, as Shinichi himself puts it.), and Ran is the star teacher in Teitan. Their relationship is solid. Their parents are also really good friends, and they’re bound to get married one day, if not soon. Shinichi is the type to, say, seize every opportunity he can get. That includes telling his girlfriend that he loves her every chance he can. But it’s also because he’s a big, sappy softie underneath his ever-silent and calculating exterior. 

The sole reason Kaito has been hesitating to say it to Aoko is because he isn’t sure that he can make her happy like Shinichi does with Ran. He knows full well that Aoko loves him the same way, that she might even love him more than he does. Part of him has always been certain that she’s the one who he will grow old with, because he doesn’t want anyone but her. But what if she can finds someone else, someone better, who can offer her an even happier future for her? He’s an entertainer, for God’s sake, he doesn’t have an elite job in an elite university like his cousin does.

“Are you gonna do it right now?” Saguru asks, chuckling a little under his breath. 

Kaito isn’t sure if he’s drunk enough to be that impulsive, just that he feels loose and comfortable. He doesn’t see what the big deal is. Except, it kind of is a big deal. Has been kind of a big deal for a while now, so much so that he’s been wanting to say it for years. Just to say it, because it’s felt like a weight on his chest for too long.

Also because he sees it in Aoko’s eyes, the flash of jealousy in her eyes whenever Shinichi and Ran calls out the three magical words to each other in the smallest of occasion here and there throughout the day. The hint of amusement accompanied by something none other than a dash of envy whenever Heiji and Kazuha calls each other by their infamous pet name “Ahou” like it’s their own version of “I love you”. 

“Hang on there. I’m not like Kudo here who needs to say it every five seconds.” He can feel the corners of his mouth sneaking upwards. You know what, maybe he _should_ do it right now. Aoko and the girls’ apartment is literally across the hallway. 

If he does it right, it could be a good thing. And this too, is a good thing, this blossoming friendship. Because they are about to have a lot _more_ milestones to achieve.

“Or, you know, you don’t have to verbally say it. Show that you love her through your actions,” Saguru points out, his slim fingers moving in a motion for Kaito to pass him another bottle of beer. Kaito does so with a scowl. “Yeah, like I haven’t been doing that all these times.”

Shinichi decides to give his cousin a little push. “You know, the first time I said it to Ran and she said it back, it easily became one of the most special nights I’ve ever spent with her. But then again, there were also fireworks because we so happened to be in Niagara Falls.”

Heiji face morphs into a scowl. “Yeah, yeah, like you haven’t hogged all the beautiful backdrops already.” But as quickly as his scowl comes, it leaves, his expression changes into a content one. “I remember mine too. It was an amazing night, followed by something even _more amazing_. Saying those three words can be a way to begin it. ‘Cuz that was also the first time Kazuha and I—”

“Dude,” Kaito narrows his eyes dangerously at him. He’d rather not hear the details, thank you very much.

Knowing that his sister has done it—and quite often too—has made him quite angry at first. Kazuha’s his little sister, and that gives him every right to keep tabs on her and control over what she should and shouldn’t be doing. But the girl is stubborn in every way. Like how he doesn’t approve of her choice of being a model, but she still chooses that path anyway. He’s proud of her all right, because she’s doing so well. She’s appeared in quite a lot of commercials and magazine covers, getting photoshoot offers here and there.

Not that he’s not proud of Aoko too. She’s rapidly climbing her way up the nurses rank in Todai Hospital, and it’s one of the best hospitals in the whole world. “At least none of us has to worry about alcohol poisoning,” Heiji once remarked, “We’ve got an actual living first-aid box with us.”

Kaito’s main concern only lies in the fact that there are many male nurses too in addition to the number of good-looking male doctors who might potentially steal Aoko’s heart away, who would’ve thought?

Speaking of the male population… he turns his attention back to the three familiar faces in the room. Shinichi is now the one leading the conversation, stern and oh-so-like the leader of their little gang. It’s just natural in their dynamic, he thinks.

Shinichi is their all prismatic and crystal-clear fluid, and Saguru is the solid rock, where Heiji is the unpredictable fire roaring all around them, where Kaito is the all-rushing wind above them.

Ten years ago, if someone had told him he would spend most of his time with a Criminology professor, an IT procurements manager with the specialization Statistical Analysis and Data Reconfiguration (it’s amazing how he remembers the exact name of Heiji’s job, seriously, all of them simply refers to him as a _transponster_ )—both of whom highlight as criminal investigators together on the side—and a stuck-up lawyer from a fancy law school in England (Kudo and Hattori both have really boring jobs when they’re not out solving cases, but what Hakuba does is the literal definition of boring), he wouldn’t have believed it for himself.

But oh, look who he ends up hanging out with almost every single day now.

“Just say it, man. She’s been waiting for it.” someone says. It takes Kaito a second to realize he’s watched Saguru’s lips form the syllables, that the words were said in Saguru’s smooth voice. 

Saguru smirks, the corner of his mouth curling up. Kaito’s not very sure through the haze of drunkenness, but he thinks he sees mischief and amusement very evident in the blonde’s face. He turns his head to regard Saguru with hard eyes and waits.

“She makes you happy and you make her happy, that’s all,” is what Saguru says next, and almost in sympathy.

Kaito is pretty sure that’s exactly what Shinichi and Heiji have been telling him to do just a moment ago. But it seems what Saguru says is the one that hits the nail, because Kaito’s face goes from nothing—no emotion, no expression—to fierce determination. 

And then Kaito stands, grabs a cup of water, downs it in a go and walk out the door, leaving the three in utter dumbfoundedness.


	12. Parallel Universe — KaiAo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 27.08.19 — Seeing Red
> 
> Characters: Aoko, Kaito, Saguru, Shinichi  
> Pairings: KaiAo, KaiShin friendship  
> Warnings/Tags: Parallel Universe, implied Character Death

Aoko’s face reflects horror as she falls.

Kaito watches her disappear amidst dust and darkness as something sucks Aoko into another place, another time, another space. He extends his hand and she reaches for him. Kaito feels triumph in his veins when Aoko’s fingers brush with his.

He curls his fingers, expecting to feel solid flesh underneath them.

Kaito doesn’t.

He screams and then—

nothing.

Aoko falls and Kaito almost rips space and universe in agony.

—

Kaito snaps reality with a crook of his fingers. With a wisp of smoke, he feels the world—his world—righting itself again around him.

“This is not healthy anymore, Kuroba,” Saguru berates him. He’s standing tall in his all black military-like outfit, his blonde hair standing out. He seems like he’s been waiting for Kaito. The water fountain behind him is calm, but Kaito knows Saguru can make it explode anytime with his will.

He walks briskly away from it. “I don’t care,” Kaito retorts back. He makes it a point to keep his shoulders square and head up.

“She’s gone,” the blonde stresses.

Kaito turns around and he fists the shirt Saguru is wearing. He curls it around his fingers and he can see the other man swallowing, but not flinching away. His eyes strays to the side. He’s afraid, Kaito knows—most people are, of him. But Saguru is one of his best friends, and they’re the only ones who are not afraid of him but _for_ him.

“You will never understand,” he says through gritted teeth.

Shadows and light obey in the wake of Kaito’s overwhelming emotions and he reaches to the deepest part of him, the one that he treasures more than anything, to find a voice and a touch belonging to the most important person in Kaito’s life.

Reality rights itself again when he lets go of Saguru’s shirt. The other man dusts himself off but Kaito can clearly see the remnants of anxiety with the way he adjusts his clothes.

There’s still the telltale disturbance in space and time. Everyone knows that Kaito can destroy every other universe if he so wishes.

Kaito has almost done it with his grief alone.

—

_Kaito lazily strolls around the park with an arrogance he wears so well. He’s well-trained not only in the gift of space but the art of persuasion. Men like him, he’s been told, are made to rule the world._

_“Slow down,” a voice complains. Kaito’s demeanor drops completely as a genuine smile breaks free._

_“I’m sorry,” he coos. He makes a show of bending down to tap her plush thighs. “I forgot that you have such short legs, Aoko.”_

_Aoko scowls at him and she pounds Kaito with his fists. Kaito fake moans but Aoko’s tiny fists barely hurt him. He exaggerates being hurt, clutching his stomach near the area she has jabbed him._

_“You really know where to hurt,” Kaito mock scowls. Aoko shoots him a large smile._

_He cannot help himself. Kaito leans down to kiss her on the lips gently._

_Aoko splutters._

_“Baka! We’re on a mission!”_

_The red on her face is endearing and Kaito is reminded once again that he has loved this girl ever since he’s nine years old._

_Kaito’s 27 now and, in two years, he’s going to be in love with do Aoko for two entire decades._

_“I love you,” Kaito helplessly whispers. “More than anything and anyone in the infinite universes.”_

_He is staring into Aoko’s eyes as he says that, but he also certainly saw the_ flare of red _in Aoko’s cheeks. She returns his declaration with a passionate kiss, before abruptly ending it and running from him mischievously._

_“You know can’t run away from me,” he playfully threatens before he disappears in a cloud of black smoke._

—

There is an infinite number of universes. Time exists in a sequence but also in snapshots. Kaito doesn’t know how to properly explain it himself but he knows it like second nature, the way people know they have to breathe even without knowing how about the exact concept of lungs and oxygen.

These universes, Kaito can travel to them in a snap. He discovers this when he’s fifteen, realizing that he cannot just move within their universe but to others as well. That’s when he knows that everything is made up of infinities. Their world is a collection of multiple infinities—small infinities creating a larger infinity that is also one of many and so on, and on, and on, and on, and on…

His favorite universe, aside from the one they’re in, is another one where Kaito is a thief with a knack for magic. He has a pretty good career, he proudly told Aoko. The Kaito in that universe is hell bent on looking for Pandora gem, the infamous gem that’s said to grant its possessor immortality. 

Little did the other Kaito know that the Pandora gem is not even located in _his_ universe. It’s safely guarded by _their_ people, right here in _their_ universe, never to be taken away and misused.

—

He moves across and through time and space like particles and energy waves, leaving only dark matter.

People fear what they do not know.

Kaito is the chasm by which the universe spins, the fissure by which the existence of everything has made sense.

He is an anomaly.

Kaito is a singularity—perhaps the singularity.

And if the universe revolves around the tips of Kaito’s fingers, then Kaito himself revolves around Aoko.

—

_Aoko’s head is lying on Kaito’s chest and her index finger draws lines on his toned pectoral._

_Kaito raises his eyebrows and he wiggles around. Aoko takes the hint without spoken words so she rolls on top of Kaito’s naked form. She nestles both her legs in between Kaito’s and their bodies, unclothed like the day they’re born, are pressed together. The heat is comfortable even if the sticky sweat isn’t._

_“Really,” Kaito deadpans. His flat voice is betrayed by the way his hands automatically move to cup Aoko’s bottom. He kneads the flesh lightly and she sighs, content, before she pushes back hard to make him moan._

_She kisses Kaito on the mouth and murmurs against the man’s plush lip, “Maybe later.”_

_Kaito smirks as he returns the lip lock with more ferocity. When they are done, he maneuvers them both, pinning Aoko’s thin wrists on the bed, “Why not now?”_

_When Aoko walks with a limp and a sore throat the next day while Kaito is all around her like a leech, everyone knows why._

—

“Kuroba.”

A figure walks inside the training room and Kaito ceases the abuse of the dummy he’s using as a stationary sparring partner. He wipes the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, turning to his visitor with an unamused stare. 

“Kudo,” he returns it with the same tone.

The man sits on the bench beside the ring as Kaito jumps the small height with no effort. Shinichi tosses his water bottle to him and he catches it with a deft hand, uncapping and thirstily drinking the liquid.

Once he finishes half of the drink, he turns to his cousin again. “Why are you here?”

Kaito drops beside Shinichi on the bench. the training room is quiet not because it’s in the secluded part but because no one dares come in when Kaito’s inside. Not after…

“Not that I mind, no.” Kaito chuckles a little but the mirth is chased out of it. Shinichi abhors training like this, preferring to hone his ability rather than his muscles. Kaito is the same, for he never once steps in this room before. This room is usually reserved for Kyogoku and Hattori, because the former has to work his strength-related power in here and the latter well, simply likes punching. But nowadays he finds punching the dummy doll relieving too. Like he’s releasing his pent-up frustration. 

“Well,” Shinichi shrugs. “I have a change of heart today.”

Kaito sighs, feeling tired and knowing already why Shinichi is here. “If you’re here to talk to me about Aoko,”

He eyes Shinichi out of the corner of his eyes, the man not moving even an inch of his face.

“No,” he answers slowly.

Kaito leans back, crossing his legs. “All right then.”

Shinichi exhales and it’s as good as an agreement as any.

“They’re right, Kaito,” Shinichi mumbles.

Kaito tenses up, not wanting to fight his cousin, whom he has considered as his best friend. “They’re not.”

Shinichi turns to him and Kaito returns the stare. Shinichi might have more experience, hell—he has even gone through something of the same. Call him inconsiderate, but Kaito is not backing down.

“Accept it.” Shinichi hisses. “How are you so sure that Aoko is not dead, Kaito?”

Kaito sucks in a breath through his teeth.

“I am.”

Shinichi scoffs at that but underneath, Kaito can see the hurt. Shinichi is undoubtedly drawing from his own personal experience. But hey, everyone gets to grief differently, okay? Kaito just chooses not to.

“We all saw her disappear,” Shinichi mutters. “She fell, Kaito. What makes you think she’s still alive somewhere—stuck in some other universe aside from ours?”

“I just do,” Kaito insists and his voice breaks at the end. Suddenly, his shoulders deflate and he feels the anger bleed out of him, only replaced by the rawness of hurt. He takes a shuddering inhale before speaking again. “If she’s dead, Shinichi, I would know. I would feel it, deep in my bones.”

He sees Shinichi’s eyes widen and his mouth opens but before he can say anything, Kaito adds in shattered whisper,

“I would know because a part of me—a large part of me would die with her.”


	13. Post-Apocalypse — HeiKai brotp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The former Phantom Thief and Great Detective of the West meet again in a world they no longer know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 03.08.20 — Snow
> 
> Pairing: Heiji/Kaito friendship  
> Rating: G  
> Genre/Tags: apocalyptic themes.
> 
> There are many HeiShin and KaiShin fics but what about HeiKai c’mon (っ•﹏•)っ

They met again in a nameless part of the compound that’s darker than night.

“Hey,” the boy, clad in white, says. 

To another person, who is sitting down on the curb. There’s a ragged baseball cap perched on the top of his head, obscuring the top half of his face. The other boy’s other physical features are not visible under the dim moonlight, but he knows who it is. He’s seen that cap before. Both the cap and its owner was all over the news and media at one point.

The boy glances up, “I’ve seen you around.”

He laughs dryly like the latter said something funny. “Back at you. I’m Kaito.”

The other boy tilts his head. “Hattori Heiji,” he says abruptly. “That’s my name.”

“Great Detective of the West?” Kaito voices to confirm, even though he already knows.

“Used to be.”

“Kaitou Kid, Phantom Thief?” Heiji asks, his tone devoid of any accusation, like he also knows.

“Used to be.”

And then both of them are silent. Kaito’s breath fogs over, moon-silver against the black air. He’s not shivering, though. Neither is Heiji.

“I didn’t expect that you’re still around,” he says, half-turning his body around to check if there is anyone else in the vicinity.

“Heh.” _Sometimes he wishes he isn’t._ Heiji’s lips quirk like he wants to grin.

Kaito understands. “We’re among the few people left, I guess,” he states. There’s no one else they used to know, and there’s no one else worth knowing. “This place is a joke.”

“I’m getting the hell outta this place.” Heiji scoffs. Kaito does too. “Wanna come with?”

“To escape?” Kaito laughs openly. He was once the master of escapades, after all. Maybe he should put his skills to good use once more.

The two boys are successfully blended in with the night. But maybe they are more out of place than they seem, or they try to be. They are lost, the two boys, even though neither will admit it.

The air is snowy cold, so cold they’re freezing.

—

The oceans are also starting to freeze over.

It’s supposed to be snowing, but it doesn’t. It hasn’t snowed for a while.

Kaito winces as they step onto the cold sand with bare feet.

Heiji shrugs as he walks past, all the way to the icy shore, not wavering the slightest. “This is nothing ta worry about.”

“Yep, _least_ of my worries.” Kaito kicks forlornly at the sand. “Why do you want to come here first, anyway? We’re wasting time, you know.”

The faster they get away from the borders, the bigger their chance of getting out of here for good.

“None ‘yer business.” Heiji scowls, his eyebrows knitted in a way that reminds Kaito of someone. Ah yes, the former Head of the Osaka police department.

Kaito’s feet are starting to feel numb as he drags his toes through the sand, still following Heiji closer to the waters. “You’re not planning to jump in, are you?” Not that Kaito cares that much, he barely knows him anyway.

“Moron. Why would I do that? Nothing would change even if I did.”

Heiji finds a big stick and starts to draw on the grainy sand, as if he knows immediately what he wants to write.

“For a faster process,” Kaito says, “We’re all going to be gone anyways.”

Heiji stabs the sand with the stick to draw something else, the shapes tiny next to the words. Kaito thinks it’s futile, whatever Heiji’s doing. All it takes is one big wave to come crashing to the shore and erase them, not leaving any trace behind. And Heiji knows that.

“Not for a while. They might come back.”

They.

Everyone Heiji knew.

Everyone Kaito knew.

Kaito glances up, looking at the clouds. “Not for a while,” he counters with exactly what the other boy previously said.

“It’s almost sunrise,” He says, like it matters.

Heiji steps away from the letters he drew on the sand. “Yeah.”

Kaito laughs humorlessly, looking around. “We’ve gotta get going.”

“Figures,” Heiji says, pointing further at the sky with her stick. Kaito squints. There are tiny blinks of red light, very very far away, somewhat blocked by the dark clouds. They have some time.

“You done here?” Kaito asks, and Heiji nods.

“They might, though.” Heiji brings it up again, just as Kaito thinks they’ve dropped the subject. “They’re resilient.”

Kaito chooses to answer in silence. He has been on Heiji’s end of the argument, too many times. He wonders at which point he abandons it and chooses to be on the other side. Maybe it’s when he realizes that it wasn’t only half of the universe that was wiped away, like the enemy threatened. If he had to guess, he’d ballpark the loss to be about 95%.

—

“Aight,” Heiji says finally. They’ve wandered so far that the purple sky doesn’t look broken.

“What?” 

Heiji nods. “I need a katana.”

Kaito offers him a smirk over his shoulders. “Welcome _back_ , tantei.”

He stops walking, traces the bark of a huge oak with his glove-clad hand. However, his finger stills, when he suddenly remembers that the bark of oak is dead, like most things around nowadays.

Like the snow, Kaito’s hand is very cold, and is growing colder, protecting what’s left in him.

Like the snow, Heiji eyes blaze icy sapphire, hiding, concealing the fire behind them.

“Do you need a weapon too?” he offers, grinning a little.

Kaito stares at his suit, his weapon. The last thing he can hold onto. It’s white, like the nonexistent snow they don’t get to see anymore. He shakes his head.

Then the sunlight is warm on their faces. 

It is daytime.


	14. Bet — HeiShin brotp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi wants to give a memorable best man's speech.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 04.08 — Bet
> 
> Pairing: Heiji & Shinichi  
> Genre/Tags: Friendship, Character Death
> 
> Here's HeiShin brotp because we can never have enough of those two.

Shinichi stood in front of the audience with a glass in his hand, and clinked on the glass three times. He chuckled to the audience. “Hattori did that at my wedding, so.. ” he commented. “I figured I should do it too.”

He cleared his throat and began.

_Hey everyone,_

_I am here to talk about our man of the hour here, the Great Detective of the West, Hattori Heiji. We’ve been best friends for years, even though people have been expecting us to be rivals. Everyone says we’re polar opposites—I’m calm and he’s hot-blooded, where I’m water and he’s the fire—you name it, we’ve heard it. And it’s true, he’s like a flame that can never be extinguished._

_He’s the best kind of guy to have around. Wherever I am, whatever I am doing, I know he will always have my back. Hattori’s not the best at saying what he’s feeling, but his actions speak for him more than enough. He’s not the type to sugarcoat things. He’s called me on my bullshit more often than one can imagine._

Shinichi could see Ran biting her bottom lips, and he shot her a smile before continuing.

_Although he’s got quite an infamous temper—which I’m pretty sure everyone here knows—Hattori is generally a happy person. He’s been even happier after he started officially dating Kazuha-chan here, the person who is responsible for making up his impulse control._

_And the world has a funny way of rewarding him, I’d like to think, because the universe gave him Kazuha-chan. I am a very logical person, but I’d go as far as saying that she is magical—she’s a miracle. Without her, Hattori would be putting a lot more victims in hospitals, either with his katana or his voice alone._

People laughed at this, even Kazuha, and Shinichi felt more than a little accomplished.

_I used to think that it would take a lot longer for him to successfully confess his lifelong love to her. Some of us here even had a pool going on. A friend of ours still has Hattori’s first declaration of love as her ringtone, to this day. When he finally made it happen, I was jealous of him, I’ll admit. His life’s complete as is._

_Although, Ran and I would probably never be the way we are now if it wasn’t for his endless teasing and pushing. We were married last year, and he was my best man, obviously. I remember looking at him and thinking: “God, I hope he doesn’t screw this up,” because Hattori has a knack for screwing things up,_

Again, Shinichi heard the crowd laugh, and a soft chuckle involuntarily left his lips.

_but he delivered perfectly. That’s just Hattori for you. He always wanted everything to be perfect._

_Like how he had so many plans and backup plans for his confession back then—which to this day, I will never understand how you never even got the hint that he was about to confess to you, Kazuha-chan, because some of them were so obvious._

_Like how he wrote and scrapped hundreds of speeches before settling with his best man speech for my wedding. He never said it, but I know he did. So I want to give a memorable best man speech too for the man of the hour.._

Everyone’s eyes were on him. He drew in a shaky breath. He cannot mess this one up. Hattori would actually laugh out loud at him and hold it above his head forever.

_He didn’t even ask me to be his best man—he just assumed that it was the most natural thing that nobody had to ask. I would deny this at first, but looking back I think I was more excited about their wedding than anyone was. Well, except maybe his mother, whom he said already had their temple booked since they were literally 5 years old._

_I know, I know. I can’t believe that Hattori didn’t believe everyone saw it coming. It’s been frustrating, really. There’s this kind of pride that sticks up your ass when you painfully watch your best friend slowly realize his feelings, slowly confess his feelings, then slowly do it all over again, this last time with a ring. Unfortunately, I won’t have the opportunity to return the favor, so I guess this has to be my best man speech to him._

Shinichi lowered his gaze to his hand, where his ring was glistening, the very wedding ring that his best man helped choose. He paused to clench his eyes shut, pushing out the tears that had been threatening to spill. 

_Of course, when I got started on my speech, I expected him to be sitting next to Kazuha-chan, complaining about not being praised. Grinning, laughing, and cursing like he always does. We’ve had a running joke since we were in high school—we’d say “I bet you’re going down,” and “No I bet you’re going down first,” It’s never really an actual bet, but guess what Hattori?_

_Looks like you lost the bet, huh?_

His voice caught in between his chuckles, and Shinichi heaved a deep breath as he moved on to say the next lines. It wasn’t really a problem that tears blurred out his vision, because he did not have a paper on him anyway. He knew what he wanted to say.

_Being happy is really hard right now, man. You’ve made so much difference in all our lives. I can literally hear your voice saying how much of a waste of our time to mourn something that’s already happened. But it feels awfully wrong right now. I lost my friend, the best kind of friend. I lost my brother._

His voice broke toward the end. He had to pause again, 

_I won’t even need to look for you when we see each other later. You’ll probably scream out my name before I even get there properly._

_I’ll see you when I see you again, Hattori._

_Rest easy._


	15. Fault — HeiShinKai brotp

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shinichi has never dropped his phone before. Until today.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 12.08.20 — Fault
> 
> Pairing: HeiKaiShin brotp  
> Genre/Tags: Crack, attempt at humor
> 
> Sometimes I think about how Heiji, the chaotic walking disaster that he is, and Kaito, during all his heists no matter how carefully planned, must have dropped their phones more than they’d like to admit

Shinichi, Heiji, and Kaito walked out of the cell phone repair store in low spirits.

“That much to repair my phone screen? I may as well just leave it broken,” Kaito whined, shoving his cracked phone in his pocket bitterly.

“Tell me about it,” Heiji shook his head. “I had ta beg my parents fer money in order ta pay fer it. The new version had already come out by then.” He and Kaito shared a sorrowful look of sympathy, before Heiji abruptly ended it and raised his voice at the latter, “Aren’t ya a thief?! Ya can’t possibly be broke!”

“First of all, I always return the things I stole.” Kaito points a finger at Heiji, just equally accusingly. “And your father is the highest ranking police. You can’t expect us to believe that you’re too broke to pay to repair your phone screen!”

“Breaking phones? Can’t relate,” Shinichi smirked in the midst of their argument, pulling his own phone out of his pocket and holding it up proudly for the other two to see. “I’ve never broken my phone screen before, not even once.”

“Knock on wood, Kudo.” Heiji scowled.

Shinichi cocked an eyebrow in confusion. “Uh, what now?”

“Knock on wood. Or else you’re gonna break your phone screen anytime now.” Kaito scolded. Gone was the annoyed look on his face, only wary. 

“Yer’ gonna break yer phone screen now that ya bragged about havin’ never broken it before,” Heiji added. 

“Pssh, that’s just pure superstition. No factual basis at all. Come on, we’re logic people. We’re not supposed to believe in shit like tha—”

Clatter.

The world stopped. Kaito gasped sharply and Heiji’s eyebrows shot up, his mouth pressed into a thin line. Shinichi’s twitchy eyes widened in horror as he stared at the sight before him.

There it was, his precious phone lying screen down on the sidewalk in front of him.

Fuck.

“I think it’s broken?” Kaito murmured, eyes unblinking.

“I… I…” Shinichi struggled to react.

“Check yer phone, Kudo.” Heiji pushed the still soccer player forward, though he sounded as equally amused at the worst case scenario.

After a slow and quaking step, Shinichi leaned down towards the unforgiving concrete, stomach dropping more and more with each inch he descended. His fingers ghosted over the back of his phone, contemplating hard for a second before grabbing the sides. He inhaled sharply as he began to lift it up, the back of it still facing him.

Was he ready? Could he have ever prepared for this day? Prepared to face the fear of never being able to tell people that he has never dropped his phone? He glanced back at Heiji and Kaito.

“It’s now or never,” Heiji whispered. Kaito nodded beside him, adding a “YOLO” along with a whistle.

Shinichi turned back around and took a few deep breaths before closing his eyes. He turned the phone around slowly and opened his right eye the slightest crack to see that his phone screen was—

“Ugh, it didn’t break? No offense, Kudo, but I was really looking forward to you to learn how it feels to live with a broken phone screen,” Kaito huffed, hand going to where his own shattered phone rested in the pocket of his uniform as he continued on his way, walking past where Shinichi still kneeled on the concrete.

“‘ _Breaking phones? Can’t relate_ ,’” Heiji threw Shinichi’s own words back at him with a mocking scoff. “Ya officially angered the Knock on Wood God, Kudo. They let ya off easy this time. It’s only a warnin’ of what’s sure ta come.” Shinichi stood up from the sidewalk as Heiji walked past him as well, shoving his phone in his pocket.

“There is no Knock on Wood God!” he yelled as he start to run after them. “It’s my own _fault_ that I dropped my phone. And that’s never gonna happen again.” Kaito and Heiji stopped in their tracks, turning to face him with utter exasperation splattered across their faces. “What?”

“Say it, Kudo,” Heiji deadpanned.

“No way.”

“You gotta,” Kaito pushed on.

“No! It’s not even real.”

“It is real and ya better save yer phone from the wrath of tha’ God, Kudo.”

“All you have to say are those three magical words.”

Shinichi sighed deeply, shooting them both pointed looks. “I still can’t believe you two even believe in this thing.”

“Do you want to drop your phone again?”

He has to keep his record clean after all. “Fine,” Shinichi sighed. “Knock on wood, asshats.”


	16. Pets AU — KazuRan friendship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kazuha doesn't mean to destroy Ran's garden!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 13.08.20 — "Stop moving!"
> 
> Characters: Kazuha, Ran, Heiji  
> Warning/Tags: Pets AU, Literal Fluff

Kazuha blinks at the _hole_ and paws at her nose. This is not right. That’s not how it’s supposed to look and now the whole idea of a perfect burrow is ruined. Maybe her little bunny paws aren’t ready for the perfect burrow. Her ears waggle at the ruffling of leaves and Kazuha hops back from incoming Heiji, his mischievous tail evilly swinging and twitchy ears twitching.

“Idiot,” says the fox, sharp eyes inspecting Kazuha’s burrow. “What have we done here? Destroying Ran-neechan’s backyard again?” Heiji’s tail swishes over the remnants of the flowers that had to be sacrificed in favor of Kazuha’s burrow. “You know how much she loves these flowers.”

Kazuha’s ears jerk at the prospect of Ran’s upset face frowning at her, and her nose wiggles. “She knows I’m building my burrow near her flowers!” she justifies.

Heiji circles her patiently, “You mean _on top_ of her flowers, right?”

Blinking, Kazuha looks at what’s left of Ran’s beloved flowers, which is actually nothing. She’d accidentally dug all her owner’s flowers out, a few pink petals sadly lying around. Kazuha squeaks, ears twitching and paws rubbing her nose in distress. _Dear God! Ran’s flowers!_

“I didn’t mean it! Can you help me?” she hops toward Heiji and the fox jumps back, tail puffing out and ears alert.

“You’re a helpless idiot, you know that?” Heiji grumbles and stretches. “It’s not my fault if you’re getting yourself another week in the cage.”

She shivers. _The cage_. “No, not the cage!” Ran wouldn’t be heartless to the extent of locking Kazuha for another week. She still has nightmares from when she was locked in after she threw her food on the pool. It’s not her fault that the carrots looked a little dry and shriveled.

Besides, what concerns Kazuha the most is how upset Ran will be about her flowers. She loves her owner so much, she hates to be the one behind the sadness on Ran’s face. 

“And you’re gon’ be grounded!” Heiji announces pompously, chin tilted upward and marmalade tail graciously swinging as he walks. Kazuha hunches, trapping her face between her paws and her tummy.

Upon seeing the sight of the trembling bunny, Heiji’s gaze softens. Maybe that’s enough teasing for now. “I’m kidding, okay?”

Poor bunny still looks beyond terrified. So he stops encircling her and gently nudges her with his paw, “I’ll keep you company while you tell her. How ‘bout that?”

Kazuha squeals in agreement and hurries into the house, cage, burrow, flowers all forgotten in favor of explaining herself to Ran. Maybe she’ll curl herself in a little ball on Ran’s lap. Or rub her nose in Ran’s palm, that always seems to work no matter who the human is.

Ran is sitting on the couch, laptop on her lap. Kazuha’s ears wiggle at the thought of Ran’s dead flowers, and how oblivious she is about their destiny. Which has been sealed by Kazuha’s bad bunny claws.

She approaches Ran with caution, and soft pawsteps not far from her indicates that Heiji is following right behind. Ran startles at the sound and sits up straight, looking at her bunny and Shinichi’s pet fox.

“What’s up guys?” she smiles brightly at them. Heiji blinks at her but stays right behind Kazuha. Ran squints at him, then focuses on her bunny. “Are you hungry?”

Kazuha rubs her face and looks up at Ran, who smiles and sets her laptop on the coffee table, leaning over and picking Kazuha up.

She shakes a little against Ran’s arms, still frightened, but it feels oh so warm and Kazuha adores Ran oh so much.

She is set down on the counter as Ran walks over to the fridge. Kazuha wiggles her nose sadly, hopping around all over the cold hard surface in panic.

“Whoa there! What’s wrong?” Ran turns around, regarding her bunny in confusion. There are many things on that particular kitchen counter, glass jars that will most likely be swatted and plunge down to the floor if Kazuha continues hopping around.

“Stop moving!” Ran exclaims, catching her bunny just as she’s about to leap onto a stack of plates on the counter. She cradles the animal to her chest and places a chaste kiss on the creature’s fluffy forehead. “You need to be more careful, Kazuha-chan,” she scolds lightly, placing Kazuha back on the counter and depositing a plate of lettuce and carrots by her side.

Kazuha happily digs in. Ran is great. She’s so great, in fact, that Kazuha nearly forgets what she was trying to tell the human. She looks at Ran and the door back and forth, hoping Ran will get the message. But it doesn’t seem like Ran does.

“Oh, do you want to go out, Heiji?”

Heiji pounces at the door. Kazuha grins weakly at the fox, thanking him for the help.

“Oh,” Ran starts, picking her fluffy pet up, “Do you want to come too?”

They head for the door and Kazuha begins to tremble. She can picture it now: weeks trapped inside the cage because she had destroyed all of Ran’s pretty flowers, her hard work.

Ran steps over the threshold and gingerly sets Kazuha on the ground. Heiji immediately goes to sit himself next to Kazuha. “The sooner she finds out, the faster it’ll all be over.” whispers the fox.

“I know,” Kazuha continues to stare at Ran mournfully. The bunny hops along, nose twitching nervously as she waits for Ran to discover the destroyed flower bed.

“I’ll just check on my flowers and then– oh. _Oh no_.”

Kazuha cowers into a ball. Here it comes.

“Kazuha-chan,” she starts, bending down, “it looks like you’ve made quite the mess.” She stares sadly at the pile of deceased peonies and then notices the hollow ditch beside it. “Oh, were you building yourself a burrow?”

Kazuha hops over to Ran and tries to convey that yes, that’s exactly what she was trying to do.

Ran fingers the velvety ear of her bunny. “In that case, it might be easier to do that over here.” She gently sets Kazuha in her former flower bed. “When Shinichi’s back, I’ll ask him to make you a burrow, okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I saw a really cute Zootopia fanart and this happened :3


	17. Wish — ShinRan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Shinichi wishes things were different.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Prompt 17.08.20 — Wish
> 
> Pairing: Shinichi/Ran  
> Rating: G  
> Genre/Tags: Hurt/Comfort, canon-divergence, aged-up characters, implied sex scene.

Shinichi looks around, scanning the near empty neighborhood, illuminated by the dim moonlight. It’s late at night, and the heavy clouds seem to be moving at a faster speed, obscuring the moon every now and then. It’s about to start pouring. He shivers, his hand reaching out to grab the shoulder of the man next to him before the other disappears into the dark street.

“Be careful, Hattori.” Shinichi gives him a firm nod, and he receives a fierce grin in return; their silent exchange is an indication that they’re not about to give up, now. It’s too late to back out and Shinichi has no means to change his destiny anymore. Besides, he is the one who convinced Shinichi to tackle it head-on anyway. “Same goes fer ya, Kudo.” 

They part ways, only for a few days, before they will meet again for their next rendezvous. Shinichi is grateful that he has Heiji, the only person he trusts more than himself. It is Heiji’s fight as much as it is Shinichi’s. They’re in the front lines, only trusting each other and never another.

He walks up to the door feeling a lot lighter, and he knocks. On any other day, he would be anxious to be there, for fear of being followed by one of them; but now, it’s too late in the night, too dark to be seen. Tonight, he’s not in a hurry. 

He hears the steps and he lets out a long breath. There are good things in this world.

“Who is it?”

Shinichi smiles, imagining her behind the door, her eyes inspecting, but kind and trusting. Her voice is as beautiful as any other music in the world – it’s… Shinichi’s favorite sound.

“It’s me,” Shinichi says, so close to touching the door, smelling the wood. It’s an old, used door, but it smells like home.

Ran opens the door. Her hair is wet, and she’s in her night clothes, the ones made of soft cotton like she’s ready to go to bed. He opens his mouth to say something, but he feels his throat constrict. She sniffs at him, and he knows she’s not going to ask. Shinichi washed himself many times before coming, but death is a lingering scent.

Ran takes him by the hand, and after all the violence, her hold feels like feathers. She takes him to her tiny bathroom and takes off his clothes, concentrating. She folds the clothes and walks away; places them in the laundry bag in the corner. Shinichi sits on the floor and makes no movement while Ran washes him – he wants to touch, but it’s not the right time. He closes his eyes and just feels her hands on him. If he concentrates enough, he may believe he’s really fresh and new, he may feel like he was washed from all the pain, all the blood, all the screams. Her fingers touch his scalp gently, the cold water refreshes his body and the soap’s smell makes him dizzy. It’s his rite of passage; now, he’s not fighting. As if he could sense it, he feels the soft crashing of lips. It’s just a symbolic demonstration of affection because Ran knows they don’t do anything unless they’re in bed.

He’s methodic, he likes the right place, the right moment.

Ran dries him off precisely. “Wait for me in bed,” she whispers. There’s no reason to be quiet but feels right to be a bit solemn. “I’ll clean myself for you.”

It means they’ll go all the way tonight.

Shinichi wasn’t expecting it. Right now, he wants nothing but her company, like most of the time. He wants to talk his bad memories away and he just wants to hold her tightly, too tired to do anything else; while she listens patiently, accepts his embrace, his sobbing, his pain. That’s enough.

He stares at the ceiling quietly and expectantly, rubbing his hand on Ran’s soft blanket. Like everything she owns, it’s simple and old, and it doesn’t feel regal like the ones he has at home. Home, where his parents are waiting. Shinichi should have gone to them first, his heart knows, but his feet took him here and he spared no energy to fight with himself. He will go home to his parents soon, maybe in the morning later, when he wakes, because he knows they’re the ones who worry the most. 

Ran walks over to him and he watches in silence. He never understood the reason people bought paintings before he saw Ran naked. Now, he thinks he would pay good money to have this image accessible to him anytime. An impossible dream, for sure. As long as the fight goes on, he has no time to sit and appreciate it. He is painfully aware he has no reason to take root. He has to leave again, and the only thing he can do is keep in his heart every detail he can memorize.

Shinichi had asked Kazuha, if she can take care of Ran for him, in case he meets his destiny. Kazuha, it turns out, and he should’ve known, is just as stubborn as her other half. She had insisted that she would look for him and _kill_ him herself, if it were to get to that point. But just in case… he left her a letter for Ran. He’s no poet, no artist, but…

Ran kisses his thoughts away. Shinichi lets her do whatever she wants. He’s in no position to ask for anything; never has been, to be honest. He is grateful for every drop of affection, caress, for every second of the time they spend together. He knows that after every moment he’s with her… he has to leave again, and he’s not sure if he will come back the next time. Ran waits, but for how long can she keep waiting?

He has to focus on Ran again. He’s not in the field anymore. He has a beautiful lover kissing him, and her hands touching precisely, getting them ready. This is what everyone wishes for. Everyone wants to come home to their lover, someone soft and welcoming, a comfort.

Seeing Ran like this, over him, her face showing pleasure and desperation at the same time. No sight would be more beautiful and fulfilling than Ran melting when she was rising and falling with Shinichi inside her, lips parted and eyes shut, too concentrated on finding release. Moments like this made Shinichi fight harder, wanting to win the battle to come back and see her again.

He was warned once, _you need arms to come back to, otherwise you won’t live; we all go insane if we don’t have someone to heal our wounds_. Hattori Heizō was the roughest man Shinichi met, his words were like a prophecy. No man is lucky to have Heizō as his enemy. Even Shinichi’s terrified of him then, when he finally came out from the shadows, and they met, under the starless sky of the night. The terror doesn’t leave, only dampened, despite the revelation in the light of recent events that Heizō is actually on the same side of their battle.

“Shinichi,” Ran touches his chest. He’s dirty, he has finished already, but he’s still moving his hips. She presses his sides pointedly, and he lets out a heavy sigh, trembling. He touches her thighs, her soft belly. He doesn’t want this to end, but it does, like everything else. Shinichi is restless now, so he walks to the window and opens it. He’s naked, but it’s raining strongly outside, so no one will see him if he stays at the corner. He wants to see the stars, but unfortunately, the sky doesn’t permit, so he just closes his eyes and enjoys the sound. Ran brings him the blanket, but Shinichi holds her instead. He presses Ran tightly against him, kisses her shoulder, and feels the texture of her skin and the blanket over it.

No one can touch him this way. Even in the worst condition, life is worth living if he can have moments like this.

“It’s been too long,” Ran murmurs. It is. Too long. “Are you going to stay?”

“A few days,” Shinichi whispers in her ear. “But I have to go to my parents.”

Ran nods. Shinichi kisses her skin lazily; he enjoys the salty taste. The rain is angrier and few water drops hit them. It’s unusual to be silent like this, but they will talk later. A thunder lights the sky, and its noise makes Shinichi shiver. He doesn’t mind it. He loves being the spectator and to be the one appreciating, especially when he has Ran next to him.

—

As he has expected, his parents are more than overjoyed. He pretends to ignore his mother’s visible sigh of relief, her deep intake of breath when he comes in through the door and presents himself to them. It hurts them and it hurts him, but he has to see the end of the battle.

Shinichi goes back to Ran’s place the evening of the next day. She doesn’t complain. She makes soup, and he watches the way she prepares it. To think that her hands can create beautiful things, while his hands…

“It’s too hot,” Ran warns before he drinks it. “Wait a minute.”

Shinichi puts the bowl on the table, scoots closer to Ran.

“I’m worried,” she says. So Shinichi holds her. “Did you lose your voice while you were away?”

Maybe. There were definitely screams, maybe his, maybe others. They have lost many people this time. Shinichi took down some of them by himself. They will haunt him for a while. 

“What happened?” Ran frowns. He kisses her briefly, just to calm her down. She touches his chest again, pushing him away. “Shinichi?”

He can’t say many things. He can’t say when he’s coming back, if he’s coming back, what happens while he’s out there. The fighting, violence – he hopes it never reaches Ran. Shinichi doesn’t ask for much. He doesn’t want her to be tainted by the darkness. He wants them to hold and love each other, while they can.

“Do you have a story?” Shinichi says, finally. “ _A_ _happy_ _story_.”

So she reads him a children’s story, a fairytale. He knows Ran likes to read stories. He remembers when she read stories for him. Ironically, he wishes he was still Conan, when he wasn’t away from her.

How he wishes for things to be different. He wishes that the battle will be over soon. He wishes to see the light at the end of the tunnel. He hopes to have a good ending for himself. However, under all his wishful thinking, he always keeps in mind the worst ending they could have.

One day, Kazuha will knock on the door, presenting her a letter, and it will not be a happy story for her to read. He can picture it. Ran, sitting like she is now, a piece of paper on her hands. Then, and Shinichi will be grateful to be long gone, she will see the only poem Shinichi has ever written in his life. It’s about her lips, gentle hands, soft voice and loving heart.

After that, maybe Ran will have another lover; she can’t sleep alone in a cold bed forever. But Shinichi would have done something beautiful, at least once; maybe Ran wouldn’t be mad at him for losing, for not coming back.

It couldn’t be that bad of an ending, after all.


	18. Avengers x DCMK — ShinRan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iron Man did say his ass looks great in this new Captain America suit. Shinichi’s glad he took at least that one advice from him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Shinichi/Ran  
> Rating: G  
> Genre/Tags: Humor, Superhero AU

“Here you go,” says Shinichi as he sets Ran down from his arms carefully on the roof of a tall building overlooking a five-star restaurant.

The superhero really has no idea how his childhood friend has managed to stroll casually into the middle of an armed robbery. He knows Ran can take care of herself but he panics when he sees her at the crime scene because he wants her out of danger, at all times. Then he realizes he has been staring deep into her eyes and blushes a shade of crimson that would have put the red rims of his vibranium shield to shame.

Thankfully he is clad in his blue Captain America mask, so the blush on his face is quite well-hidden. Shinichi tries to tear his eyes away from Ran’s lips which parted slightly like a rose bud in the cusp of spring. Perhaps a kiss…

“Thank you.” Ran’s voice is surprisingly steady for someone who has been held at gunpoint only to instead be swung around the city from buildings to buildings. She has also been clinging tightly to Shinichi’s torso which is something that wouldn’t be forgotten soon.

“No problem. All in a day’s work for your friendly neighborhood superhero.”

“Neighborhood? Does that mean you live in the same neighborhood as I do?” Shinichi watches as Ran’s eyes dart to left and right. “Ah! What if you’re my next door neighbor? I live on the 5th block in the City. Although if you’re actually my neighbor, you would’ve known that.”

Shinichi blinks. Just… where does she even get that from?

He waves his hands in front of him as a gesture of dismissal, taking a step back from her. “Ah, no. I don’t mean that I’m actually from your neighborhood. It just means that I’m a local here and this is sort of a community service, if you will.”

Ran nods mutely. Her eyes ran down his figure and he couldn’t help but grin—Iron Man did say his ass looks great in this new Captain suit after all. Shinichi’s glad he took at least that one advice from him.

An awkward silence falls between them. He considers the possibility of ripping off his mask and watching her eyes widen to see that _the_ Captain America has been her Shinichi all along. Maybe she will be so overwhelmed when she realizes that Shinichi always loved her. Maybe—

“Yo _Cap_! You okay here?”

Shinichi looks up to see Iron Man hovering above the building they’re on, waving at them a little too cheerfully. “Yup, we’re good.” He shouts back, shooing Iron Man away and inwardly groaning because.. of course, Iron Man just has to come and disrupt what could be a romantic night of revelation for him and Ran.

He turns his gaze to her, wanting to reach for her soft hands.

“So…….that’s really spandex huh.”

Shinichi coughs and straightens up in an attempt to cover up the fact that he has almost leaned into her face. “Ah yeah, great for its flexibility and aerodynamic properties.”

“Y-you know… maybe you should, um, you should… try to wear underwear next time.”

“Huh?” Usually when Shinichi has imagined Ran talking about underwear, he has imagined it to be in slightly different circumstances and usually about the removal of it.

“You-you can kinda see everything,” Ran mumbles almost incoherently, gesturing to his lower region with her face boiling red. In a split second, she turns to run to the exit door at a speed he’s never realized she could achieve before. 

Shinichi glances down and realizes with a lurch of his stomach that yes, indeed, not much was left to the imagination. He splutters in an attempt to explain himself but Ran has already disappeared down the fire escape stairs. The love of Shinichi’s young life is gone, just like that.

Iron Man lands next to him, patting him on the shoulder, out of pity or pride, Shinichi doesn’t know. 

“Nothin’ to worry about, Cap. You’ve got some nice junk in the trunk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> America's Ass? More like DCMK's Ass (ノωヽ)


	19. Avengers x DCMK (II) — HeiKazu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The young prodigy of Hattori Enterprises is the dumbest genius Kazuha has ever met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pairing: Heiji/Kazuha  
> Rating: G  
> Genre/Tags: Humor, Superhero AU
> 
> Heiji’s chaotic energy remains unmatched.
> 
> And in an ideal Marvel AU, he’d be Tony (or Quill !!! ), Shinichi would be Steve bc they are righteous and calculating (I can also picture him as Thor ig), and I actually see Makoto as the Hulk bc of their brute force ty.

Kazuha is stressed. Having to act as the secretary of the famous Hattori Enterprises is starting to take its toll on her sanity. At that moment all she wants is to go home and get some well deserved rest and maybe watch a rom-com or two. But first, she needs to get the brilliant yet useless Hattori Heiji to sign for some documents. Of course, he is lurking in his basement like Gollum, tinkering away at his iron suits.

“I’VE DONE IT. I’ve modified the suit to perfection. Praise me, Jarvis.”

Jarvis, Heiji’s multilingual personalized computer system with the patience of a saint, plays an applause midi file and congratulates the childish genius in a bored voice.

“Aww c'mon, Jarvis. At least try to sound a little happy for me.”

“When you’ve finished harassing your inventions,” interrupts Kazuha, “could you sign these papers for me?”

“Definitely, throw them my way. But first,” Heiji grins and steps into his Iron Man suit. “I’d like to show you my new suit.”

“Can we please be quick? I have other things to take care of,” she could already feel a headache starting. “And that suit looks _exactly_ like all your other ones.”

“Looks can be deceiving. For example, I’m incredibly handsome but also amazingly intelligent.”

“I’m leaving.”

“No! Please, I really want to show you what I changed.” The childish owner of Hattori Enterprises looks hopefully at Kazuha, his lower lip jutted out into a pout.

Kazuha sighs. _Damn those good looks_. “Fine. What have you made?”

“Get this; not only does it act like all my other Iron Man suits, it can now make,” Heiji pauses for dramatic effect. Kazuha tries to resist the urge to throw her clipboard at her boss who is actually also her childhood friend, “ _coffee_.”

Truthfully, Kazuha has been hoping for something a bit more, well, just… more. “Coffee? But you don’t like coffee. You don’t even drink coffee.”

“But you like coffee. And I like you, so I could like coffee.” Heiji pulls the helmet of his suit down and relays a set of instructions that Kazuha doesn’t quite catch. She is too busy processing Heiji’s comment and trying so hard to not blush because he probably doesn’t even realize what he has just said.

“Now then,” Heiji straightens up in his already stiff suit, “get your coffee on.”

Kazuha hears the unmistakable sound of water boiling and she couldn’t help feeling impressed; it’s not everyday you see a young genius combine a state of the art coffee machine with a potentially hazardous weapon of mass destruction that coincidentally can also fly.

It’s not everyday you hear said genius scream like a little child either.

Heiji shrieks and hops from one foot to another. “JARVIS TURN IT OFF!! IT’S BURNING ME. OH MY GOD NOT MY FACE, NOT MY FACE!”

Suddenly the rockets in the suit’s palms and feet are switched on.

“ _Oh_ _shit_.”

The suit is propelled upwards where it cracks the ceiling and showers chips of concrete like snowflakes onto Kazuha. Heiji is then shoved into the wall where he breaks a few machines and sets fire to the water dispenser before being flung against the opposite wall.

Kazuha steps back and closes the bulletproof glass door just as Heiji slams into it. Her boss proceeds to bounce through his basement, destroying most of his possessions along the way.

After scrolling through social media for her friends’ latest life updates for a while, Kazuha decides it is time to check on her probably wounded childhood friend. “You are too dangerous to be left alone,” She deadpans, stepping over a stray flamethrower and heading towards the crumpled metal mass that is Heiji. One iron hand is still sputtering sparks of coffee rebelliously.

“I may have miscalculated.”

“You are the dumbest genius I have ever met.”


End file.
